Conflict Duel Tournament
by Luthien-Anwaman
Summary: DISCONTINUED. Kaiba's hosting another tournament, but what could go wrong? The answer a hell of a lot. Friends will become enemies and enemies become friends when the gang is forced to compete in the Conflict Duel tournament.
1. Gone to the Dogs

**Lu: **OK, welcome to the new, revised version of the New Tournament. Anyone who doesn't want to read the whole thing again can check the chapter I put up next, where I'll have a complete summary of the changes. OK, a quick summary of what I plan to do, right here, right now.

1. Mai's age is going to be 24 again. I was getting a bit sick of pretending she was 17, so she is 24, like usual now.

2. There is a official JoeyxMai get together scene when I get to it. I don't think it was fair to JoeyxMai fans, including myself, to only have them getting together from Tristan's point of view. Therefore, I promise that I will put in a proper getting together scene when I get up to revising that chapter.

3. Some chapters will be melded together. For example, the original first three chapters will be melded into one, just to get the chapters longer. So yeah... longer chapters.

4. I will add in proper descriptions and fix up the life points and stuff. Promise!

**Yami Lu: **So, are these your promises?

**Lu:** Yes. Those are the guaranteed changes. No more promises other than that. Anyway, I suppose I better give a proper summary.

_Kaiba's hosting another tournament - but what could go wrong? The answer - a hell of a lot. Friends will become enemies and enemies become friends when the duelling world goes topsy-turvey and the gang is forced to compete in the Conflict Duel tournament. COUPLES: JoeyxMai YamixTea SetoxSerenity_

**Lu:** Once I've finished revising, that will be the official summary. OK, I'm gonna tell y'all what each character is wearing as well. Main character, mind you, not any of the minor ones

_Yugi Motou: _Usual. His blue school uniform, combined with trainers and a buckle choker.

_Yami Motou:_ Same as Yugi except with boots instead of trainers.

_Joey Wheeler:_ What he wears in the DDM arc. No, not the puppy dog suit. The white t-shirt, jeans and blue jacket.

_Tea Gardener:_ 'SPIRIT' yellow sleeveless top, red mini-skirt, platform shoes with knee-high socks.

_Tristan Taylor: _Duellist Kingdom outfit. Beige trench coat, and whatever he wears under that. I can't actually remember.

_Seto Kaiba:_ Battle City outfit. White trench coat, loads of buckles, boots, black shirt and pants and belt.

_Mai Valentine:_ Battle City outfit. Sleeveless lavender jacket, white tie up boob tube, purple mini-skirt, black knee-high boots.

_Serenity Wheeler:_ Usual outfit. She doesn't really change much.

_Mokuba Kaiba:_ Battle City outfit. Does he even change between the two series? I think he does.

_Duke Devlin:_ Ditto. BC outfit. OK, so I'm getting lazy. I just can't remember what he was wearing, OK?

_Ishizu Ishtar:_ Ditto.

_Marik Ishtar:_ Ditto.

_Malik Ishtar:_ Ditto.

_Ryou:_ BC outfit.

_Bakura:_ Whatever Ryou's wearing.

**Lu:** I think those are all the main characters... I got kinda lazy for the last couple... If you can't remember what they were wearing, , which has excellent episode-by-episode picture guides and episode translations. If you don't know where to find it, check my links on my user-lookup-profile-thingamabob. Anyway, here is the first chapter (for the old reviewers, chapters 1-3). Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Gone to the Dogs**

"Hey, Yuge, whatcha doin' dis weekend?" asked Joey Wheeler cheerfully on his way home from school. On his left side walked Yugi Mouto, the vertically-challenged winner of both Duellist Kingdom and Battle City tournaments. On Joey's right walked Tea Gardener, long-time best friend of Yugi. On Yugi's left was Tristan Taylor, one of their best friends.

"Not much. Just helping Grandpa in the games shop," said Yugi.

"Can I come and help too?" asked Joey hopefully.

"Sure Joey. Grandpa can always use some extra help," replied Yugi. Yugi knew that Joey would prefer to hang out with his friends than stay home. His home life wasn't exactly perfect.

"Err... guys? Kaiba's coming," said Tristan quietly. Joey's attention immediately switched from Yugi to Seto Kaiba, host and finalist of the Battle City tournament and CEO of KaibaCorp.

"Hello, Yugi," sneered Kaiba, his ice blue eyes showing no emotion. "What are you doing?"

"We're going to his Grandpa's game shop," said Tea coldly. All of Yugi's group were despised by Kaiba, and the feeling were generally mutual. She started to push past Kaiba, but he stopped her.

"Ooh, going on a date, are we?" he said, looking from Tea to Yugi. Yugi made an angry noise, and tried to pounce on Kaiba, but was too short to break free of Tristan, who was holding him back. It was unusual for Yugi to lose his temper like this, but he had once liked Tea, and was still rather sensitive about the subject. He had gotten over his crush on her once he found out that she liked another.

"Leave dem alone, Kaiba," snarled Joey, brown eyes flashing. Joey was a hard person to get close to, but if you did manage to become his close friend, there were many benefits. Joey was very protective of his friends, and would even give his life for his very close friends. Namely Yugi and his 'friend' Mai.

"What's in it for me?" asked Kaiba. Kaiba wasn't one to just stop teasing someone because he was told to. He wanted something in return. Joey remained silent, but stood his ground, scowling at Kaiba furiously.

"OK, I'll make you a deal," said Kaiba. "I'll leave your friends alone, mutt, if you do what I want for two weeks, excluding weekends." Joey thought about it for a moment.

"How long will you leave dem alone?" he asked suspiciously. Out of everyone in the world, Kaiba was one of Joey's most despised people. The story was a long one, but to cut it short, Joey had tried to become Kaiba's friend when they first met, but Kaiba has thrown it in his face and squashed it beneath his heel.

"However long," said Kaiba. A plan was already forming in his mind - a cruel plan, which he knew would humiliate Joey and tear apart his already shaky self-confidence.

"How often do you reckon we'll see you in de next three months?" asked Joey.

"A lot, if you're planning on coming to my tournament," said Kaiba. "I would think almost every day once the tournament's started." Everyone had already heard about Kaiba's new tournament. The name for it was undecided at the moment, but Kaiba was apparently close to happy with the name he had thought of. Kaiba had actually accepted Joey as a fellow duellist, which seemed almost incomprehensible to Joey, but he wasn't complaining.

"And you won't tease dem at all?" asked Joey.

"Nothing, no teasing, no putting down, no anything," said Kaiba. _'At least not to your friends, mutt.'_

"Don't do it, Joey," said Tea, her blue eyes wide and fearful. "You don't know what he's going to make you do." Joey thought about it for a moment. He carefully weighed up the pros and cons. On one hand, he would be saving his friends from taunts for the next three months. On the other hand, he had no clue how far Kaiba might go with his new found power over Joey.

"OK," he said finally. He reached out his hand. Kaiba shook it, a sneaky grin already plastered on his face. Once Joey saw that sinister look, he regretted his agreement to Kaiba's conditions, but it was too late to go back on his word.

"Now, come with me, Wheeler," smirked Kaiba.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," said Joey, following Kaiba doggedly in the direction of KaibaCorp. He hated having to do what his worst enemy told him to, but he had made a deal, and Joey wasn't one to break his word. Yugi looked after him desperately, his violet eyes wide.

"Joey, be careful, OK?" he shouted. He knew that Kaiba might go too far, and Joey no longer had any power to stop him.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. It's all worth it for you guys," said Joey, winking, although he wasn't so sure about that himself.

"Anyway, Kaiba, what exactly do you want me to do?" he said, turning to Kaiba.

"Oh, I've got plans," said Kaiba with a smirk. Joey could feel a feeling of dread growing in the pit of his stomach, and he always trusted what he felt in his gut.

-

Kaiba and Joey entered the gates of KaibaCorp. A small boy with a mass of long, messy, jet black hair came to greet them. This boy was Kaiba's 12 year old brother, Mokuba Kaiba.

"Hey, Seto! Hey, Joey! What are you doing here?" he said curiously. After all, it wasn't every day his brother came back to KaibaCorp with someone, let alone his worst enemy, Joey Wheeler.

"Hey Mokuba. I made a deal with your brother," said Joey. "He leaves Yugi, Tea and Tristan alone if I do what he wants me to do for two weeks."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" whispered Mokuba in Joey's ear as Kaiba walked off to do something. Mokuba knew that Kaiba could be cruel to people he didn't like, and he knew that Joey wanted to stick up for his friends, but he wasn't sure that it was really a good idea on Joey's part.

"Don't worry," said Joey, winking. "Nothing he can do can stop me." Mokuba shrugged. Despite his doubt, he knew it was Joey's choice in the end, and nothing could really change his mind once it was made up. Joey was stubborn, and nothing could change that. Kaiba approached Joey, holding something in his hands.

"Well, Joey, I hope you're a man of your word," said Kaiba, handing Joey the bundle. Joey looked at it. It was a puppy dog suit.

"Oh no," groaned Joey. He had been forced to do this once before, by Duke Devlin, creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters. Kaiba had been furious that he hadn't been the first to manage it, and was determined to at least be the second.

"We made a deal," said Kaiba. "If you want to pull out, I think I might just go and find Yugi and Tea..."

"Err, no, wait," said Joey. He gulped, and began to put it on. He pulled down the headpiece, feeling smaller by the second.

"That's a good boy," said Kaiba, patting Joey on the head. "Now get down on the floor." Joey started muttering inaudibly, but he got down on the floor. He felt downcast, and tried to shield his eyes with the headpiece.

"I better go," said Mokuba quickly, violet eyes showing that he was trying to conceal laughter. Despite being Joey's friend, he found the concept of him being in a dog suit amusing, to say the least.

"Yes, I'll see you later," said Kaiba.

"See you, Mokuba," said Joey.

"Bad boy," said Kaiba, nudging Joey in the ribs with his foot as Mokuba walked away. A slight pain jabbed through his ribs, making him gasp.

"Ouch, what was dat for?" asked Joey, clutching his ribs. A small ache still remained in his ribs.

"You only speak in dog," said Kaiba.

"Woof," said Joey sourly. He meant to be sarcastic, but Kaiba smiled evilly. Joey was already dreading the next two weeks with a passion.

"Good boy," said Kaiba. Joey scowled and growled. **_[A/N: I'm a poet and I didn't know it!]_**

"Bad boy, you must not growl at your master," said Kaiba, nudging Joey again. Joey grasped his ribs again, but said nothing. He didn't want to feel the heel in his ribs again.

"Come, mutt, now we must supervise some duels," said Kaiba, and began walking towards the building. Joey started to get up, but Kaiba turned around.

"You have to walk like a dog as well as talk like a dog," said Kaiba. Joey got down on his knees again, and started to crawl after Kaiba. "Good boy," said Kaiba, patting Joey on the head again.

"Woof," said Joey sadly.

-

They entered the building. Duellists all around stared at Joey, crawling beside Kaiba. Joey shadowed his eyes with the dog suit, making sure that no one could figure out it was him. Kaiba entered a room with Joey at his side. There were two duellists there: Yugi as the spirit of his Millennium Puzzle **_[A/N: a.k.a. Yami]_** and Rex Raptor.

"Joey?" said Tea, standing at the sidelines. Her eyes widened as she saw Joey's tangled blonde hair under the headpiece of the suit.

"Woof," said Joey. He didn't look Tea in the eye, because he was ashamed of what he looked like in the dog suit, and letting Kaiba manipulate him like this.

"Kaiba, how can you do this to him?" said Tristan furiously, eyes flashing dangerously. Kaiba smiled.

"We did have a deal," he smirked.

"Joey, why don't you just stand up?" said Tea.

"I don't think you know how much dose shoes hurt," said Joey. Kaiba nudged him again. Joey howled. This was met by a huge facefault by most of the people in the room.

"Joey, are you OK?" shouted Yami, the spirit of Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, from the duelling podium. He looked exactly the same as Yugi, except about half a foot taller and he had blonde streaks through the centre of each of the arms of the star.

"Bow wow," said Joey, massaging his ribs where Kaiba had kicked him.

"Now, mutt, sit," said Kaiba. Joey sat down cross legged. "No, mutt, sit like a dog," said Kaiba. Joey got back onto his knees and sat on them. "There's a good boy," said Kaiba.

"Kaiba, leave Joey alone," shouted Yami. Like Joey and the rest of their gang, Yami was very close to his friends, and would stick up for them no matter what.

"We made a deal, and now he has to hold up his end of the bargain," said Kaiba. He knew this would stump Joey, as he always kept his word.

"Joey, why don't you just call off the deal?" said Tea.

"No, I made a..." started Joey, but then stopped. "Woof, woof," he said sourly. Kaiba patted him on the head.

"Now you're getting the hang of it, mutt," said Kaiba. Joey looked like he could kill, but he stayed where he was.

"Remember, Joey, this is the first out of ten days you will have to do this," said Yami. Joey nodded. He was perfectly aware of this fact, and was not looking forward to any of it.

"Let's begin this duel!" said Rex. It was the first thing he had said since Joey and Kaiba had entered the room. Yami turned to Rex and nodded.

"Why are you duelling?" asked Joey, and then realised he had talked, and cowered as Kaiba kicked him once more. Rex sneered for a moment and then turned back to the preparations for the duel.

"We ran into Rex on the way home from school," said Tea. "He wanted to prove that he had improved since we last saw him."

"Woof," said Joey as sarcastically as he could, as he sincerely doubted that Rex could beat the spirit of the Puzzle. The duellists drew their first cards.

"I summon a monster in defence mode," said Rex. "And end my turn." Yami drew a card.

"I summon the Gemini Elf!" shouted Yami. "Gemini Elf, attack!" The twin elves summoned up two balls of light, which they then shot at the face down card, and the monster that was inside was destroyed.

"Come, puppy dog, there is much to do," said Kaiba. He was eager to leave, because this duel was going to be one-sided, and he had a lot to do.

"Why did you take me in dere den?" Joey asked crossly. "Woof," he added as an afterthought.

"I wanted your friends to know what I was doing to you," said Kaiba with a small smirk. They exited the room, Kaiba striding confidently and arrogantly, Joey crawling silently behind him.

"Good luck, Yuge, woof, bark, bow wow," shouted Joey over his shoulder.

"Mutt, you can't just say something and then add a couple of dog sounds after it," said Kaiba. "You have to talk in dog speak the whole time."

"Woof," replied Joey. Kaiba patted Joey on the head.

"Now, let's go and find Mokuba for the daily report," said Kaiba, and strode towards a large meeting room. Joey crawled behind him, trying to hide his face from the duellists surrounding him.

* * *

**Lu:** Like it? I don't know where I'm going to put the songs when I get to them. Anyone got any suggestions? Or should I just take them out all together? **PLEASE HELP ME HERE!**

**Yami Lu:** Well, I reckon you should take the whole story out, but I know that's not going to happen. Ever. So my opinion doesn't count.

**Lu:** True. Hey, who are you hanging out with?

**Yami Lu:** Bakura and Marik.

**Lu:** You and Bakura getting together any time soon.

**Yami Lu:** **I DON'T LIKE HIM!**

**Lu:** Sure... anyway, review! Ya know that little blue button down there? The one that says go? **PRESS IT!**


	2. Duel: Kaiba vs Joey

**Lu:** Hey, I _am_ writing, I _swear_! I finished this ages ago and just didn't put it up. Heh. I apologise sincerely for that. New plan: I'm going to put up one _new_ chapter, and then one _revised_ chapter.

**Yami Lu:** About time you gave up, hmm?

**Lu:** Never! Anyway, I won't do review replies because this is a revised chapter. This is chapters 1-5 for previous reviewers. Guys, _PLEASE REVIEW!_ Even if it's a short, anon. one, just please review! Anyway, here's the second chapter of Conflict Duel Tournament.

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Duel: Kaiba vs. Joey**

As Joey and Kaiba pushed through the large, elegant wooden doors that lead to the meeting room, Mokuba approached them.

"Joey, you look... different," said Mokuba, trying to suppress the laughs that were pushing to come out. He couldn't help it. Joey in a dog suit was just too funny to bear.

"How is the company today?" asked Kaiba, drawing the attention away from Joey, for which he was very thankful, although he would have preferred it if Kaiba would simply let him get out of the dog suit.

"The tournament is costing a lot of money," said Mokuba. "And the virtual game..."

"Another one?" groaned Joey. Kaiba kicked him, and then turned back to Mokuba.

"Is costing quite a bit," continued Mokuba. "But duel disk sales are up, and more and more duellists are renting arenas. Overall, we have a bit of a profit, but not a huge amount."

"Well, that's better than nothing," said Kaiba, sighing. "Thank you, Mokuba."

"What are you going to do now, Seto?" asked Mokuba.

"Well, I usually get challenged to a duel right abut now, but I think I'll use my situation to my advantage," said Kaiba, looking at Joey. "Let's teach the puppy dog a few tricks." Joey growled, hating the prospect of being bossed around by Kaiba.

"Bad dog," said Kaiba, hitting Joey over the head. Joey howled, a sharp pain running through his head.

"Seto, be fair, give him a break," said Mokuba softly, finally sympathising with Joey.

"He agreed that he'd do whatever I wanted," said Kaiba. Joey gulped and nodded.

"OK, mutt, sit," said Kaiba. Joey sat down like a dog. "Joey, beg," said Kaiba. Joey remained where he was, not wanting to discredit himself further. "OK, let's sweeten the deal," said Kaiba. He got a donut from a plate on the coffee table in the middle of the room. "Beg, Joey," repeated Kaiba. Joey weighed up the advantages.

_'I'm losin' my dignaty... What am I talkin' 'bout? I'm in a bloody dog suit! And I did say dat I'd do whatever he wanted me to... and a donut can't hurt... oh, what the hell...' Joey attempted an impression of a dog begging. Both Kaiba and Mokuba laughed, Mokuba a hearty laugh, Kaiba a sneering laugh._

"Good boy," said Kaiba, and threw the donut on the ground. Joey tried to pick it up, slipping one pawed hand under it and pushing it into his palm.

"Act like a dog, eat like a dog," reminded Kaiba. Joey got down, and picked up the donut in his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, and looked back at Kaiba.

"Now, let's see how your friend is doing," said Kaiba. "Come, mutt." Joey followed Kaiba into yet another room. This one seemed to be a security room, with screens showing all the arenas.

"Here," said Kaiba, pointing at a screen. Tea and Tristan were cheering, and Yugi and Rex were shaking hands, Rex looking disappointed but pleased, Yugi looking like he had enjoyed himself.

"Woof," said Joey joyfully.

"Yes, he does seem to have won," said Kaiba. "Anyway, I'll duel you to pass the time." Joey looked at Kaiba.

"Me? I mean, woof?" said Joey disbelievingly. Kaiba _never_ thought that duelling Joey was a worthwhile pasttime. In fact, on the contrary, he thought of it as a complete waste of time.

"Yes, I need a simple duel for once," said Kaiba. Joey swallowed the insults that he wanted to say, and dug inside his jacket pocket to retrieve his deck.

_'OK, lunch money, booster pack, wallet and deck,'_ he thought, naming each items as his fingers passed over them. He took the latter from his pocket.

"OK, let's just have one here, not publisise it," said Kaiba. Joey nodded, and they went back into the meeting room.

"Yugi, Tea, Tristan and Mai are here to see Joey," called Mokuba from the door.

"Please," said Joey, looking up at Kaiba. Kaiba kicked him, but nodded to Mokuba.

"Let them in," he said. Mokuba opened the door. The gang rushed in, Mai in the lead. Her blonde hair billowed behind her.

"Joey, how can you let him do this to you?" she asked breathlessly as she reached him. Mai saw the gang about once a day, as she usually met them at the Game Shop after they got home from school. But today she had a duel arranged with some guy, who Joey hadn't taken the time or care to learn the name of, and hhad obviously met the gang after her duel.

"Woof," said Joey once again. He wanted to ask her how her duel went, anything to take her attention off him, anything to keep him from breaking into a blush. But he couldn't.

"Oh, Kaiba, at least let him speak," Mai cried, her violet orbs sending daggers at Kaiba. If looks could kill, Kaiba would have been dead 10 times before he even knew he was dead. **_A/N: OK, so that is an over used line but I thought it was the most likely reaction for a woman in love. ::ahem::_**

"No, he agreed to do whatever I wanted," said Kaiba matter-of-factly.

"Bark," said Joey, nodding to let her know that it was true, although he didn't want her to think that he just did it because he felt like it. He wish Yugi or Tristan or Tea would tellher _why_ he was crawling on the ground in a dog suit.

"Yugi, how long does he have to do this?" asked Mai furiously, turning her furious glare to Yugi. Yugi flinched slightly.

"He still has to do nine days," said Yugi cautiously, not wanting to make Mai blow up.

"Kaiba, you're not going to make him go to school like that, are you?" said Mai, trying and failing to maintain a cool attitude. She had to admit, she would like to pick them up from school or something simply to see him like that, but that thought was quickly banished from her mind. Although she would like to taunt Joey about it to watch him squirm, it wasn't worth lowering his self-esteem more than it already was.

"Maybe I will," said Kaiba evasively.

"Kaiba," said Mai warningly, still kneeling on the ground next to Joey. Her fingers were curled around Joey's, although she hadn't seemed to notice yet. Joey sure had though. He could feel his palms sweating underneath the suit, and he was sure it wasn't from heat.

"Joey and I were about to have a duel,"said Kaiba quickly, trying to draw her away from this topic. The thought of Joey losing miserably should do it, in his opinion. Mai groaned.

"Joey, did you agree to this?" asked Mai.

"Bow wow," said Joey, nodding. "I was bored, OK?" Mai stared at him pointedly, not believing that he would simply submit to Kaiba's will like that. Kaiba kicked him again. Joey howled.

"Kaiba, this must stop!" shouted Mai. Joey shook his head. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, turning on Joey, who blushed and shook his head.

"Umm, he was stopping Kaiba picking on Tea and I," said Yugi. "We tried to stop him, but he insisted. He didn't know what Kaiba was going to make him do."

"I would have done it anyway, Yuge," said Joey. But after another nudge from Kaiba, he seemed like he would never speak again. Mai gripped his hand tighter, making him lose his breath. He didn't remember Mai ever being this close to him, except when he had tried to save her from Marik's shadow spell and his Winged Dragon of Ra.

"Shall we begin?" asked Kaiba. Joey nodded.

"You can speak now, because I can't have a duel with a dog, although I have heard you are not much better than one," said Kaiba with an evil smile. Despite the fact that he had duelled Joey twice, he refused to acknowledge the fact that, in the second duel, Joey had done fairly well.

"Kaiba, leave him alone," said Tea. Joey placed his deck on the coffee table, and took off the puppy dog suit, running his hand through his hair until it fell back into its messy state. Kaiba followed suit, and knelt down. They drew their first cards.

Yugi peered over Joey's shoulder. Joey had drawn Red Eyes Black Dragon, Polymerisation, Time Wizard, Kunai Whip Chain and Baby Dragon. Yugi was amazed how good Joey's hand was. In fact, this hand was probably the best first hand he had ever seen.

"You can go first," said Kaiba.

"I summon de Baby Dragon," said Joey. "And I place a card face down." Kaiba recognised this combo. He knew that Joey only ever played his Baby Dragon with his Time Wizard.

"I play the Hitotsu-Me Giant," said Kaiba, "and attach this magic card, Mystical Moon, to it, to increase its attack and defence points by 300. Giant, attack the Baby Dragon!"

"Activate trap," said Joey, turning over his face down card. "Kunai Whip Chain," said Joey. "Baby Dragon, destroy his Hitotsu-Me Giant!" Kaiba was shocked. He had thought beating Joey would be simple, but Joey had already set a trap for him that he hadn't expected. Maybe he had underestimated his opponent, something he didn't often do. In fact, the only time he could remember that he had underestimated his opponent was his first duel with Yugi, when Yugi had summoned Exodia the Forbidden One to destroy his Blue Eyes White Dragons.

Joey drew a card. "I play de Time Wizard," announced Joey, "Time Wizard, Time Roulette!" The roulette landed on Time Warp, and his Baby Dragon was changed into the Thousand Dragon.

"Thousand Dragon, attack his life points!" shouted Joey. Kaiba's life points were reduced to 1600. Kaiba scowled, but drew a card. But his scowl changed to a smile when he saw his card.

"I'll play a card face down, and end my turn," he said.

_'Why is he so happy? I'm just about to wipe out de rest of his life points, and he's still smiling. What is he planning? Could dat face down card be a trap, or just another monster for me to destroy? What should I do?'_ he thought. He thought hard about it, and decided against attacking. "I'll pass," said Joey. Kaiba smiled.

_'If I draw the right card this turn, I can win this duel easily,'_ he thought. He drew his card, hoping that it would be the right one, because otherwise Joey would probably win the duel. He looked at his drawn card, and smiled. The Blue Eyes White Dragon!

"I play my three Blue Eyes White Dragons!" shouted Kaiba triumphantly. "And fuse them with my face down card, Polymerisation, to create the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Attack Joey's Thousand Dragon with White Lightning Blast!" Joey's life points fell to 2100. Behind him, the gang groaned at Joey's misfortune. Joey drew a card, scowling furiously.

"I play a monster in face down defense mode and end my turn," he grumbled. Kaiba smiled villianously and drew a card.

"I summon Spear Dragon," he announced victoriously. "Just to let you know, Spear Dragon's special ability means that when I attack a monster with lower defense points than the attack points of my Spear Dragon, the difference is caused as Battle Damage to my opponent's life points. So that means, when my Spear Dragon attacks your face down monster, you will lose more life points! Spear Dragon, attack his face down monster!" Joey's face down monster flipped to reveal Alligator's Sword. It was destroyed by Spear Dragon, bringing Joey's points down to 1400.

"No!" yelled Joey, slamming his hands onto the table.

"Too bad, Wheeler, you've lost. Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack his life points directly to end this duel!" Joey's life points fell to 0.

"But... but..." stammered Joey.

"Now that the duel has ended, mutt, you know what has to be done," said Kaiba. Joey grumbled, muttering incoherently under his breath. But he did as Kaiba suggested, and climbed into the dog suit. Kaiba patted him on the head, to which Joey replied with a growl. Kaiba countered this with a strong kick, which sent Joey tumbling.

"Leave Joey alone!" shouted Mai, kneeling beside Joey. She took his hand and pulled him into sitting position, but when she had finished, she did not release his hand.

"Mai, please, I'll be fine," hissed Joey. Kaiba prepared to kick him again, but Mai sat in front of him, preventing Kaiba from hurting Joey.

"Move out of the way, Valentine," spat Kaiba. Joey prodded her away from him, but she held steady,

"No, Kaiba, leave Joey alone," she said, slowly and clearly.

"Mai, come on, I made a deal, please, just move out of the way or he'll kick you too!" said Joey. Mai seemed unhappy to abide, but she did as she told him, and let Kaiba kick him. Joey glared at Kaiba grudgingly, but found that it was hurting less and less.

"We better go," said Tristan. He yawned widely after this statement, showing everyone how tired he was. Then he looked pointedly at Mai, as if willing her to come.

"No, I'm not going until Joey is set free," said Mai. She kneeled beside Joey again, and put one arm around his shoulders. Joey's face flared up, but Kaiba sighed.

"Well, you're going to be here a long time. He gets the weekend off, but apart from that he's stuck with me," he said, and, although his words seemed repentful, his eyes showed evil laughter. Mai grimaced.

"I pity you Joey," she said quietly. She took his paw in her hand, and squeezed it, making Joey's heart leap. "I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow after school. I'll meet you at Yugi's game shop, OK? Providing Kaiba," -at this point she shot a glare at Kaiba- "lets you come." Joey nodded eagerly.

_'Wow, Mai's bein' really nice. Nicer dan usual. It's like... no, she wouldn't,'_ he thought. Mai held his pawed hand for a few prolonged seconds, before releasing it and returning to the rest of the group, glancing over her shoulder at Joey and giving him an encouraging look.

_'You'll be OK Joey, I know you will. You're too strong-willed to let Kaiba get to you. You know we're here for you,' she thought as she gazed at him, willing her message to reach Joey, although she know it was impossible._

"See you at school, Joey," said Yugi. Tea, Tristan and Yugi waved goodbye and exited the room, and Mai followed after winking at Joey. Joey was left alone once more with Kaiba and Mokuba.

Kaiba stood up. "We better get home, they don't need us here anymore," he said. Mokuba and Joey followed him outside, and they went back to Kaiba's mansion in a limo.

"Well, it's getting late, what do you say to some dinner?" said Kaiba to Mokuba once they were inside the Kaiba mansion and in the dining room.

"Sure thing, Seto!" said Mokuba happily.

"What should we have?" asked Kaiba. He always left the choice of food up to Mokuba, as he had long since lost any enthusiasm for anything in his life, with the possible exception of his company.

"How about pizza? It's easy to get, I'll just go and call take away," suggested Mokuba.

"Sure," said Kaiba. Mokuba ran off to make preparations for dinner. Kaiba collapsed on the sofa, absolutely exhausted. "Down, boy," he said in a tired voice. Joey lay down in a dog-like fashion. He had also lost any energy he had left. As he lay there, in complete silence, his mind raced along every topic contained in his head, and settled on his friends.

_'Yuge's a great friend, he'd do anything for me, and I'd do anything for him,' he thought. 'Tea's cool too, and Tristan's a great mate. And Mai... well, what can I say? There's not enough words to describe her, nor are there any words great enough. Intelligent, independant, amazing, tough... sexy, beautiful... wait, what am I thinking? She's just my friend, nothing more. I do NOT like her! But when she touches me, or talks to me, or holds me... it makes me feel-'_ His thoughts were interrupted by Mokuba running back in.

"It'll be here in 10 minutes," he said enthusiastically.

"That's great Mokuba," sighed Kaiba, not sounding at all thrilled or interested.

"What's the matter, Seto?" asked Mokuba, picking up on his brother's mood. Kaiba usually tried to show some interest in what Mokua was saying, even if he wasn't interested, but tonight he wasn't even trying.

"Not now," said Kaiba, jerking his head irritably towards Joey. Joey, however, didn't notice this gesture, as his mind was fixed on Mai.

"I don't think he's listening," whispered Mokuba, nearly bursting into giggles at the look on Joey's face: a mixture of confusion and longing.

_'How in the world am I meant to figure out if I like her? I mean... I like to be with her... Do I want more than that?' Joey continued to ponder, thinking about whenever Mai was with him, and trying to capture what he felt when he was with her, but not quite getting there._

"Come on Seto," said Mokuba. "He's obviously thinking about something else."

"OK," said Kaiba, resigned to the fact that Mokuba was not going to give up. "Well, I just feel so lonely. You're my only real friend, and no offense Mokuba, but that's kinda depressing, seeing as you're my brother. I always thought I didn't need anyone... but I think I need someone else. I mean, look at the mutt! He's hardly best friend material, and yet he has heaps of friends: Yugi, Gardener, Taylor, Valentine, Bakura... I just don't see how he does it," he finished bitterly. It was true: Joey had plenty of friends, but Kaiba hadn't realised just how loyal Joey was to his friends.

"Why don't you try being friends with them?" asked Mokuba, as if it was the most obvious and easy thing to do.

"Mokuba, you know I don't like them," said Kaiba furiously.

"I get along with them," said Mokuba, shrugging.

"Well, I don't," snapped Kaiba. Mokuba remained quiet. Kaiba didn't really go at his throat very often, unless he brought up this subject. Joey was still staring absent-mindedly at the wall.

_'When she was with me before, I felt embarassed when she touched me... and I wanted to kiss her... so that must mean... crap... how do I tell her I love her? And when?" he thought hopelessly. The fact that he admitted to himself how he felt was a great step. Admitting it out loud to someone was the next. And then, to Mai herself..._

_'How can he just sit there and not hear a word we're saying?' he thought incredulously. 'I mean, it's just as well, but I can't believe how he can just sit there and pretend he's deaf.'_

"Seto, why don't you just try?" asked Mokuba pleadingly.

"No, Mokuba, it's too late," said Kaiba. "All chance of friendly interaction died out long ago. The pizza will be here by now, I'll go get it." Kaiba stood up hastily and exited the room with the swish of his trenchcoat.

* * *

**Lu:** Hello! I sooooooo wanna see the new episodes, like, Doom, but they aren't out in Australia, and Darkhope, those downloads on the website weren't working when I tried. I'm gonna go and try again now. Review!


	3. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Hey, y'all! Thanks for the reviews!  
  
**Yami Lu:** I can't believe people bother to review you.  
  
**Lu:** Well, they do. I've been seeing loads of pictures of the Doom Arc series which prove that Mai and Joey and Yami and Tea like each other. Go see them yourself. Just look at all the piccies! Ooh, we were so happy when we found this site.  
  
**Yami Lu:** Yeah, Lu and Inwe were dying of happiness.  
  
**Lu:** BTW, Inwe-Linwelin, who is mentioned in many future chapters, has changed her pen-name to Hysterik-Angel, so you can now find her story, Shadow of Reality. Anyway, on with the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Support**  
  
They entered the building. Duellists all around stared at Joey, crawling beside Kaiba. Kaiba entered a room with Joey at his side. There were two duellists there: Yugi as the spirit of his Millenium Puzzle and Rex Raptor.  
  
"Joey?" exclaimed Tea, standing at the sidelines.  
  
"Woof," said Joey.  
  
"Kaiba, how can you do this to him?" said Tristan. He was furious, his brown eyes showed that. Kaiba smiled.  
  
"We did have a deal," he smirked.  
  
"Joey, why don't you just stand up?" demanded Tea.  
  
"I don't think you know how much dose shoes hurt," said Joey. Kaiba nudged him again. Joey howled.  
  
"Joey, are you OK?" shouted Yami, the spirit of Yugi's Millenium Puzzle, from the duelling podium. He looked exactly the same as Yugi, except about half a foot taller and he had blonde streaks through the centre of each of the arms of the star.  
  
"Bow wow," muttered Joey in reply, massaging his ribs where Kaiba had kicked him.  
  
"Now, mutt, sit," said Kaiba. Joey sat down cross legged. "No, mutt, sit like a dog," said Kaiba. Joey got back onto his knees and sat on them. "There's a good boy," said Kaiba gleefully.  
  
"Kaiba, leave Joey alone," shouted Yami.  
  
"We made a deal, and now he has to hold up his end of the bargain," said Kaiba.  
  
"Joey, why don't you just call off the deal?" said Tea.  
  
"No, I made a..." started Joey, but then stopped. "Woof, woof," he said sourly. Kaiba patted him on the head.  
  
"Now you're getting the hang of it, mutt," said Kaiba. Joey looked like he could kill, but he stayed where he was.  
  
"Remember, Joey, this is the first out of ten days you will have to do this," reminded Yami. Joey nodded.  
  
"Let's begin this duel!" yelled Rex. It was the first thing he had said since Joey and Kaiba had entered the room. Yami turned to Rex and nodded.  
  
"Why are you duelling?" asked Joey, and then realised he had talked, and cowered as Kaiba nudged him once more.  
  
"We ran into Rex on the way home from school," explained Tea. "He wanted to prove that he had improved since we last saw him."  
  
"Woof," said Joey.  
  
The duellists drew their first cards.  
  
"I summon a monster in defence mode," said Rex. "And end my turn."  
  
Yami drew a card. "I summon the Dark Magician!" shouted Yami. "Dark Magician, attack!" The magician attacked the face down card, and the monster that was inside was destroyed.  
  
"Come, puppy dog, there is much to do," said Kaiba.  
  
"Why did you take me in dere den?" Joey asked crossly. "Woof," he added as an afterthought.  
  
"I wanted your friends to know what I was doing to you," said Kaiba with a small smirk. They exited the room.  
  
"Good luck, Yuge, woof, bark, bow wow," shouted Joey over his shoulder.  
  
"Mutt, you can't just say something and then add a couple of dog sounds after it," said Kaiba. "You have to talk in dog speak the whole time."  
  
"Woof," said Joey. Kaiba patted Joey on the head.  
  
"Now, let's go and find Mokuba for the daily report," said Kaiba, and strode towards a large meeting room. Joey crawled behind him, trying to hide his face from the duellists surrounding him.

* * *

**Lu:** Review! I want to know what everyone thinks so far. Poor Joey.  
  
**Yami Lu:** Get over it already. What about the couples?  
  
**Lu:** Aww... I didn't know you cared.  
  
**Yami Lu:** No. I like pointing out that I'm more organised than you.  
  
**Lu:** Well, the couples are coming soon. Maybe not next chapter. I'll see. They are prewritten so they are coming very soon. No song for this chappie either. It's kinda sad that there are no songs about anything except love and heartbreak. Anyway, review!


	4. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Well, thank you to all my reviewers, especially DayDreamerz!

**Yami Lu:** Why?

**Lu:** 'Cause I've found a review waiting in my Inbox everyday from DayDreamerz!

**Yami Lu:** That is pretty cool.

**Lu:** Anyway, this chapter's longer than the rest. Like, a lot longer. Anyway, the romance is coming. Slowly. But there is some in this chappie. So I added a song! My first!

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Duel: Kaiba vs Joey**

As they pushed through the large doors that lead to the meeting room, Mokuba approached them.

"Joey, you look... different," giggled Mokuba, trying to hide the laughs that were pushing to come out.

"How is the company today?" asked Kaiba.

"The tournament is costing a lot of money," said Mokuba. "And the virtual game..."

"Another one?" groaned Joey. Kaiba kicked him, and then turned back to Mokuba.

"Is costing quite a bit," continued Mokuba. "But duel disk sales are up, and more and more duellists are renting arenas. Overall, we have a bit of a profit, but not a huge amount."

"Well, that's better than nothing," sighed Kaiba. "Thank you, Mokuba."

"What are you going to do now, Seto?" asked Mokuba.

"Well, I usually get challenged to a duel right about now, but I think I'll use my situation to my advantage," said Kaiba, looking at Joey. "Let's teach the puppy dog a few tricks."

Joey growled. "Bad dog," said Kaiba, hitting Joey over the head. Joey howled.

"Seto, be fair, give him a break," said Mokuba.

"He agreed that he'd do whatever I wanted," said Kaiba. Joey gulped and nodded.

"OK, mutt, sit," commanded Kaiba. Joey sat down like a dog. "Joey, beg," said Kaiba. Joey remained where he was. "OK, let's sweeten the deal," said Kaiba. He got a donut from a plate on the coffee table in the middle of the room. "Beg, Joey," repeated Kaiba. Joey got up on his knees, like a dog begs. "Good boy," said Kaiba, and threw the donut on the ground. Joey tried to pick it up.

"Act like a dog, eat like a dog," reminded Kaiba. Joey got down, and picked up the donut in his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, and looked back at Kaiba.

"Now, let's see how your friend is doing," said Kaiba. "Come, mutt." Joey followed Kaiba into yet another room. This one seemed to be a security room, with screens showing all the arenas.

"Here," said Kaiba, pointing at a screen.

Tea and Tristan were cheering, and Yugi and Rex were shaking hands.

"Woof," barked Joey joyfully.

"Yes, he does seem to have won," observed Kaiba. "Anyway, I'll duel you to pass the time." Joey looked at Kaiba.

"Me? I mean, woof?" asked Joey.

"Yes, I need a simple duel for once," said Kaiba. Joey swallowed the insults that he wanted to say, and dug inside his jacket pocket to retrieve his deck.

_'OK, lunch money, booster pack, wallet and deck,'_ he thought, and got the final item from his pocket.

"OK, let's just have one here, not publicise it," said Kaiba. Joey nodded, and they went back into the meeting room.

"Yugi, Tea, Tristan and Mai are here to see Joey," announced Mokuba.

"Please," said Joey. Kaiba kicked him, but nodded to Mokuba.

"Let them in," he said. Mokuba opened the door. The gang rushed in, Mai in the lead. Her blonde hair billowed behind her.

"Joey, how can you let him do this to you?" she asked, giving him a hug.

"Woof," said Joey once again.

"Oh, Kaiba, at least let him speak," she said, staring daggers at Kaiba with her violet eyes.

"No, he agreed to do whatever I wanted," reasoned Kaiba.

"Bark," said Joey.

"Yugi, how long does he have to do this?" asked Mai furiously.

"He still has to do nine days," said Yugi cautiously.

"Kaiba, you're not going to make him go to school like that, are you?" said Mai, trying and failing to maintain a cool attitude.

"Maybe I will," said Kaiba evasively.

"Kaiba," growled Mai warningly.

"Joey and I were about to have a duel," said Kaiba quickly. Mai groaned.

"Joey, did you agree to this?" asked Mai.

"Bow wow," said Joey, nodding. "I was bored, OK?" he said, as Mai stared at him. Kaiba kicked him again. Joey howled.

"Kaiba, this must stop!" shouted Mai. Joey shook his head. "Why are you doing this?" she asked Joey.

"Umm, he was stopping Kaiba picking on Tea and I," said Yugi. "We tried to stop him, but he insisted. He didn't know what Kaiba was going to make him do."

"I would have done it anyway, Yuge," said Joey.

"Shall we begin?" asked Kaiba. Joey nodded.

"You can speak now, because I can't have a duel with a dog, although I have heard you are not much better than one," said Kaiba with an evil smile.

"Kaiba, leave him alone," said Tea. "It's bad enough you're humiliating him, without you teasing him as well." Kaiba ignored her. Joey placed his deck on the coffee table, and took off the puppy dog suit. Kaiba followed suit, and knelt down. They drew their first cards.

Yugi peered over Joey's shoulder. Joey had drawn Red Eyes Black Dragon, Polymerisation, Time Wizard, Kunai Whip Chain and Baby Dragon. Yugi was amazed how good Joey's hand was.

"You can go first," said Kaiba.

"I summon de Baby Dragon," said Joey. "And I place a card face down."

Kaiba recognised this combo. He knew that Joey only ever played his Baby Dragon with his Time Wizard. "I play the Battle Ox," said Kaiba. "Battle Ox, attack the Baby Dragon!"

"Activate trap," said Joey, turning over his face down card. "Kunai Whip Chain," said Joey. "Baby Dragon, destroy his Battle Ox!"

Kaiba was shocked. He had thought beating Joey would be simple, but Joey had already set a trap for him that he hadn't expected.

Joey drew a card. "I play de Time Wizard," said Joey. "Time Wizard, Time Roulette!" The roulette landed on the Time Roulette, and his Baby Dragon was changed into the Thousand Dragon.

"Thousand Dragon, attack his life points!" shouted Joey. Kaiba's life points were reduced to a mere 50.

Kaiba scowled, but drew a card. But his scowl changed to a smile when he saw his card. "I'll play a card face down, and end my turn," he said.

Joey was nervous. _'Why is he so happy? I'm just about to wipe out de rest of his life points, and he's still smiling. What is he planning? Could dat face down card be a trap, or just another monster for me to destroy? What should I do?'_ he thought. He thought hard about it, and decided against attacking. "I'll pass," said Joey.

Kaiba smiled. _'If I draw the right card this turn, I can win this duel easily,'_ he thought. He drew his card, hoping that it would be the right one, because otherwise Joey would probably win the duel. He looked at his drawn card, and smiled. The Blue Eyes White Dragon!

"I play my three Blue Eyes White Dragon!" shouted Kaiba triumphantly. "And fuse them with my face down card, Polymerisation, to create the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Attack Joey's Thousand Dragon with White Lightning Blast!" Joey's life points were reduced to zero in a matter of seconds.

"But... but..." stammered Joey.

"Now that the duel has ended, mutt, you know what has to be done," said Kaiba.

Joey scowled and put his dog suit back on. "Woof," he said.

"There's a good boy," said Kaiba, patting Joey on the head. Joey growled. Kaiba kicked him.

Mai got down and help Joey back onto his knees. "Kaiba, leave Joey alone," she said firmly.

"Mai, please, I'll be fine," hissed Joey. Kaiba prepared to kick him again, but Mai stood in the way.

"Move out of the way, Mai," spat Kaiba.

"No, Kaiba, leave Joey alone," she said slowly and clearly.

"Mai, come on, I made a deal, please, just move out of the way or he'll kick you too!" said Joey. Mai snorted, but moved aside. Kaiba kicked Joey. Joey grunted, but held firm.

"We better go," said Tristan.

"No, I'm not going until Joey is set free," snapped Mai. She sat down on a chair, and pouted. Kaiba sighed.

"Well, you're going to be here a long time. He gets the weekend off, but apart from that he's stuck with me," he said. Mai grimaced.

"I pity you Joey," she said. She took his paw in her hand, and held it tightly. "I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow at school," she whispered. Joey nodded.

_'Wow, Mai's being really nice. Nicer than usual. It's like... no, she wouldn't,'_ he thought. Mai squeezed his paw, and then left the room.

"See you at school, Joey," said Yugi. Tea, Tristan and Yugi waved goodbye and exited the room. Joey was left with Kaiba and Mokuba once more, wondering why Mai was being so nice and not bickering with him.

Kaiba stood up. "We better get home, they don't need us here anymore," he said. Mokuba and Joey followed outside, and they went back to Kaiba's mansion in a limo.

* * *

**Lu:** Well, that's it! Apologies for the crappy duel scenes. I don't know how you guys will react to them. And I've got a huge 40 page duel later on. So please give me your honest opinions on the duel scenes. Oh, and the life points and stuff were done before I knew how to do any of them, so I apologise for that to. Review!

**Yami Lu:** Yeah, review.

**Lu:** Why are you nice all of a sudden?

**Yami Lu:** Well, Yami Bakura and Yami Marik suddenly got murderous, and I seemed to be the target, so I started hanging out with Yami Yugi.

**Lu:** Oh. Anyway, review!


	5. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Yay! I'm getting more reviews than I thought I would.

**Yami Lu:** Yeah. Which was none.

**Lu:** I thought I'd get a couple. This chappie is just people reflecting on their feelings for other people. Namely Joey and Kaiba thinking about...?

**Yami Lu:** Read on and you'll find out.

**Lu:** Oh, wait. Disclaimer. I've forgotten to put it for the last couple of chapters so I better put it here. Would you do the honours, Yami?

**Yami Lu:** As if.

**Lu:** You can go and hang out with Yami Bakura and Yami Marik...

**Yami Lu:** OK. Lu does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Can I go now?

**Lu:** Sure thing.

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Pizza**

"Well, it's getting late, what do you say to some dinner?" said Kaiba to Mokuba once they were inside the Kaiba mansion and in the dining room.

"Sure thing, Seto!" said Mokuba.

"What should we have?" asked Kaiba.

"How about pizza? It's easy to get, I'll just go and call take away," said Mokuba.

"Sure," said Kaiba. Mokuba ran off to make preparations for dinner. Kaiba sat down. "Down, boy," he said in a tired voice. Joey lay down in a dog- like fashion. Joey was also very tired. As he lay there, he thought about his friends.

_'Yuge's a great friend, he'd do anything for me,' _he thought. _'Tea's cool too, and Tristan's a great mate. And Mai... she's amazing. She's smart, friendly, tough, independent... and beautiful. Wait, what am I thinking? She's just my friend, nothing more. But the way she talks to me lately...'_ His thoughts were interrupted by Mokuba running back in.

"It'll be here in 10 minutes," he said enthusiastically.

"That's great Mokuba," sighed Kaiba.

"What's the matter, Seto?" asked Mokuba.

"Not now," said Kaiba, jerking his head irritably towards Joey. Joey was still thinking about Mai.

"I don't think he's listening," whispered Mokuba.

_'How am I meant to tell Mai dat I like her?'_ thought Joey. _'What if she doesn't feel the same way about me? What if I stuff up our whole friendship?'_

"Come on Seto," said Mokuba. "He's obviously thinking about something."

"OK," said Kaiba, resigned to the fact that Mokuba was not going to give up. "Well, I just feel so lonely. You're my only real friend, and just looking at how the mutt's friend's support him makes me feel jealous."

"Why don't you try being friends with them?" asked Mokuba.

"Mokuba, you know I don't like them," said Kaiba furiously.

"I get along with them," said Mokuba.

"Well, I don't," said Kaiba. Joey was still staring absent-mindedly at the wall.

_'OK, I have to tell her I like her tomorrow... or de day after... or de day after dat... no, Joey, tomorrow,'_ he thought determinedly. Kaiba stared at Joey with a look of disbelief.

_'How can he just sit there and not hear a word we're saying?'_ he thought. _'I mean, it's just as well, but I can't believe how he can just sit there and pretend he's deaf.'_

"Seto, why don't you just try?" asked Mokuba pleadingly.

"No, Mokuba, it's too late," said Kaiba. "All chance of friendly interaction died out long ago. The pizza will be here by now, I'll go get it." Kaiba stood up and went out of the room.

While he was walking to the door to collect the pizza, Kaiba had a good long think. _'Why can't I find anyone? Just having a girlfriend would make it better. But Joey would kill me..."_ he thought. _"I don't like her. I can't. I won't. But I do. Why do I have to like Serenity? Why can't I be normal, and like Mai or someone? Why do I have to like the sister of one of my worst enemies? Although, I suppose that liking Mai wouldn't be much better, Joey likes her. Tea likes Yugi. _

_So really, Serenity is the only open girl around. And she's really, really pretty. I guess she got the looks in the family. And the smarts. In fact, she got everything. She's everything Joey's not. That's probably why I like her. Oh god, Seto, stop thinking this way! You have plenty of other things to think about, so think about them...'_

"Mr. Kaiba!" shouted a voice.

"Huh?" said Kaiba, snapping out of his trance.

"Your pizza," said the pizza delivery boy.

"Oh, right. Thanks," said Kaiba. The boy looked at him strangely. Kaiba handed him the money and took the pizza boxes. He went back inside.

_'Man, how is it possible for me to tell Mai when she's always so confident? I just look like a mumblin' idiot around her. It's impossible for me to keep my cool when she's standin' dere so confidently while I'm so nervous,'_ thought Joey. Then he smelt pizza as Kaiba came into the room.

"Meat lovers! Alright!" shouted Joey, lunging for the boxes. Kaiba hit him over the head.

"Get down, mutt," he shouted. Joey got back down on the floor. He looked scared. Kaiba kicked him. Mokuba grabbed his brother's arm as he prepared to hit Joey again.

"C'mon, Seto, let's just have the pizza," said Mokuba quickly. Kaiba glared at Joey, but sat down next to his brother. He grabbed a slice of pizza and bit into it gratefully.

Mokuba looked at his brother in concern. Seto was always grumpy, sullen and quiet at the moment. There was something more on his mind. "Seto, what is the matter?" asked Mokuba. Joey immediately pretended to be deaf.

"I told you before," said Kaiba.

"Something else is wrong, I can feel it. You're not comfortable around anyone anymore," said Mokuba.

"Was I ever?" asked Kaiba sarcastically.

"Not even around me," said Mokuba sadly.

"Mokuba, I'm not going to say anything. There is nothing wrong with me that is your concern," said Kaiba. Mokuba looked at his brother's eyes. They showed a different story.

"This is about a girl, isn't it?" said Mokuba slowly.

"Mutt, pizza?" Kaiba practically shouted. Joey nodded. Mokuba knew then - it was about a girl that Seto liked. Joey ate happily.

_'If I can tell Mai over pizza, den I should be fine. But it's not de right place to tell her. It's not right to tell her over somethin' as borin' as pizza. But I can't ask her anywhere more dan dat 'cause it'll sound too much like a date. Oh, I'll just pull her over at school. But den I'm gonna look like an idiot. Maybe I'll know when it's the right moment. Maybe it won't be for a month. Yeah, dat's what I'll do. Tell her when I know it's the right moment,'_ he thought.

_'How do I even see Serenity? I haven't really talked to her much, just listened to her talking to her friends. How can I tell her I like her when there's Joey to get through? Joey'd kill me if I told her and she told him. Maybe I could tell Joey. But he'd just strangle me. How can I ever even get the courage to tell her?'_ thought Kaiba desperately.

_'OK, you know it's about a girl, now you just have to work at him until he tells you who,'_ thought Mokuba slyly.

"Seto, why won't you just tell me who?" he asked Seto after they'd finished the pizza.

"Err, Kaiba?" said Joey. Kaiba looked at him furiously.

"No talking like..." he began.

"No, I gotta go," said Joey, getting flushed.

"Oh. Down the hall. First door on the right," said Kaiba carelessly. Joey ran out.

"C'mon, he's gone now," said Mokuba.

"It's none of your business who I like," said Kaiba.

"Please? I won't tell anyone. C'mon, I always tell you who I like. Please?" pleaded Mokuba.

"No," said Kaiba shortly.

"I swear I'll keep it secret..." began Mokuba.

"Fine!" shouted Kaiba. "If you must know, I like Serenity."

"Joey's sister?" asked Mokuba in disbelief. Kaiba nodded, feeling heat rising to his cheeks.

"She's everything Joey isn't," he said. Joey burst back in at that moment.

"Thanks," he panted.

"Back down," said Kaiba. Joey got back onto his knees and lay on the ground. Kaiba yawned.

"Seto, you should get some sleep, you look really tired," said Mokuba. He was right. Kaiba's eyes had huge dark rings under them, and his eyes looked slightly bloodshot. Kaiba nodded.

"I suppose I better find you somewhere to sleep," he said to Joey.

"Can I ring my dad and tell him I'm not comin'?" asked Joey. Kaiba kicked him, but handed him the phone.

* * *

**Lu:** Well, that chapter used to be two chapters, but I cut it down to one. What do you think?

**Yami Lu:** Better than some of your fics that you've never put up. How about that Ancient Egypt one? starts laughing uncontrollably

**Lu:** blushes Shut up. I never showed it to anyone and I never will. Anyway, review!


	6. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Sorry about the late update. A friend slept over last night so I couldn't update.

**Yami Lu:** Happy Valentine's Day!

**Lu:** Have you been in the sugar?

**Yami Lu:** No. I've just eaten way too much chocolate. Ooh, I'm doing the disclaimer. Lu does not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Serenity's Shadows**

"Hey, Serenity," Joey said after he'd dialled the number. "Tell Dad I'm not comin' home. I'm at Kaiba's mansion." He paused for a moment. "I made a deal with him, I'll tell you tomorrow." He paused again, listening. "What? He did what? Shit. OK, umm, what can we do?" Joey thought for a moment, and then looked at Kaiba. "Hey, is it alright if my sister spends de night too? It's just..." he began.

Kaiba's heart leapt. Serenity? Sleeping at his house? Kaiba nodded before Joey could finish.

"Hey, sis, Kaiba says you can spend de night. Is dat cool? ... Just try and get out of dere without disturbing him. Can you catch a cab? ... OK, I'll see you in 20 minutes. Bye," he said, hanging up the phone.

"Thanks, she really needed to get out of dere. My dad's..." he trailed off.

"What?" asked Kaiba.

"Doesn't matter. She'll be around in a while. I'll talk in dog now. Woof," said Joey.

"No, what's the matter with your dad?" asked Kaiba.

"It's none of your business," said Joey. "Why do you care anyway?"

"No reason," said Kaiba quickly, in case Joey suspected something. Joey looked at him like he was a freak for a couple of seconds, and then looked away. They sat in silence for ten minutes, and then the doorbell rang. Joey jumped up.

"I'll get it," he said eagerly. But Kaiba grabbed the back of the suit.

"Stay, dog," said Kaiba. Joey growled but stayed put. Kaiba walked out of the room and up the hallway. He opened the door.

There she was, looking like a fallen angel. It had started raining while they were eating dinner, and she was drenched. Her clothes clung to her, revealing her curves. Her long brownish-red hair fell limply behind her back. She was wearing a lavender t-shirt and short denim jeans. Her hazel eyes looked red, like she'd been crying.

"Hi Serenity," he said.

"Thank you for letting me stay," she said in a hoarse, monotonous voice.

"Come in," he said, stepping aside. She came inside, clutching a small backpack.

"Err... can I take anything?" asked Kaiba awkwardly. Serenity shook her head. Joey came out at that moment. He had taken off the puppy dog suit.

"Serenity!" he said, and ran to her, giving her a hug. "You're not too hurt, are you?" he asked, stepping back and surveying her. She paused for a moment, then burst into tears, running into Joey's arms, dropping her backpack.

Kaiba was starting to piece together what was happening. Their father had hurt Serenity for some reason.

"It's OK. Nothin' can get you here, although I wouldn't trust Kaiba completely. But even he's better to be with dan dat drunken bastard," said Joey, hugging his sister as she cried.

_'OK, so their father was drunk,'_ thought Kaiba.

Joey broke their hug, and held Serenity by the shoulders at arms length. "He didn't hurt you too badly, did he?" he asked. Serenity sniffed.

"He beat me, so I have a lot of bruises," she whispered.

"Oh, god, we've gotta get you some kinda help," said Joey desperately. He looked at Kaiba with pleading eyes. "Please, I'll do anythin'," he said. Kaiba shook his head.

"You don't need to do anything. What does she need?" he said. Joey seemed stunned for a second, but then answered.

"Somethin' to help with bruises, if possible," he said. Kaiba nodded, and rushed off to get something.

_'I hope she's OK,'_ he thought.

"You'll be OK, Kaiba seems willin' to help for once," said Joey to Serenity who was hugging him again and crying. "Dad can't hurt us here, not if Kaiba's security can help it. Plus, he'll be too drunk to just run up here to get us." Kaiba came back then, with some kind of ointment. "Where do you need it?" asked Joey.

"Mainly on my back," she said in a hoarse voice.

"Is dere anywhere around here where we can put dis stuff on?" Joey asked Kaiba. Kaiba nodded, and lead them to a room. It had a bed in it, and Serenity sat down on it, sniffing.

"Can I help?" asked Kaiba. Joey looked stunned again, but snapped out of it.

"Err, yeah, you can hold her shirt up while I put dis stuff on," he said. Kaiba nodded. Serenity sat with their back to them. Kaiba sat down next to her, and lifted up her shirt slightly. His heart skipped a couple of beats when he saw her back.

In some areas it was bruised so badly it looked purple, and some places actually had open cuts.

"Oh god," muttered Kaiba under his breath. Joey sat on the other side of Kaiba.

"He was really drunk, wasn't he?" said Joey softly. Serenity nodded.

"He was out all day. He had just come back," she said sadly. Joey began to apply the ointment. Serenity flinched, but didn't utter anything. Kaiba held up her shirt with shaking hands. All of this reminded him how his stepfather had mistreated him and Mokuba. Kaiba had ended up accidentally killing him. So he knew what it was like to have an abusive parent, and he was actually feeling sorry for the Wheelers.

"I take it your father was drunk when he did this to you," he said quietly. Joey stared at him in shock. Serenity nodded.

"I know what it's like to have an abusive father," said Kaiba sadly. A clap of thunder came from outside. "My parents died when Mokuba was a baby, so I was required to look after him. Then I met Gozubaro Kaiba, the owner of KaibaCorp. I challenged him to a game of chess. If I won, then he would adopt Mokuba and me. I won. But he was abusive, and he wouldn't even let us go to school and let us act like normal kids. So, one night after a beating, I'd had enough. I pushed him back for once, but he tripped and fell out the window. He died. I was the next in line for CEO of KaibaCorp, so I took over the company. And I tried to give Mokuba what I had missed out on - a normal childhood. But it's too late for me," he sighed. He didn't know why he was telling them this. He hated Joey. But he had the feeling that Joey wouldn't tell anyone. Not after what he had found out about their family.

And Serenity... he knew she wouldn't tell. Somehow he knew she wouldn't. Joey stared at Kaiba.

"Kaiba..." he began. Kaiba held up his hand to shut him up.

"Trust me, I don't know why I'm telling you. I hate you, you hate me. It's got something to do with the fact that we both have younger siblings to look after and abusive parents," he said. Joey nodded.

"I suppose we better tell you our story now," he said. "Well, when Serenity and I were young, our parents divorced, and my mum drove off with Serenity, leavin' me with my alcoholic father. Whenever he's really drunk, he'd beat me. De next I heard from Serenity was just before the Duellist Kingdom tournament, when she announced dat she was going to lose her eyesight. At de tournament, I was duellin' for de prize money to get an operation for her. I didn't win de tournament, but Yuge gave me de prize money anyway, 'cause he was only duellin' for his grandpa, and later for you and Mokuba, so Serenity was able to get her eyesight back. But our mum died in a car accident after de Battle City tournament, so she came to live with me and my dad. But, as I told you, our dad's an alcoholic, and he punches us when he's drunk. So we have to go and camp out at Yuge's house, or Mai's or Tea's or Tristan's. It's really depressin', but we don't wanna turn him in for child abuse, 'cause he's our father, no matter how much we hate him. So dat's our story," Joey finished. Kaiba sighed.

"You know, our families aren't too different," he said. Joey nodded.

"But dis is only a temporary truce, right?" asked Joey. Kaiba nodded.

"You'll always be the puppy dog to me," he said. Joey's eye twitched, but he was still applying the ointment, so he let that one go.

"Can we get somewhere for my sis to sleep?" he asked.

"She can sleep here. You, come with me," replied Kaiba.

"Wait, I just gotta get her backpack," he said, and ran out of the room. Kaiba let go of Serenity's shirt.

"Thanks again, Seto," she sniffed.

"Any time," he said. A pink tint appeared on his cheeks. Serenity giggled. Joey came back in.

"OK, sis, I'll see you tomorrow mornin'," he said, tossing her backpack on the bed. Serenity smiled.

"'Night," she said. Kaiba and Joey exited. Joey stared at Kaiba for a second, then looked at the path ahead of them.

"Where do I sleep?" he asked.

"Umm... how about here?" said Kaiba, opening a door. Joey saw a bed, and nodded.

"Whoa, dis thing's huge!" he exclaimed as he went in.

"This is just a normal sized bed," said Kaiba in confusion.

"Well, I normally sleep on a cheap bed dat my dad bought when he was still with my mum. We were a little short on money den..." said Joey, trailing off. "Anyway, thanks again for letting my sis stay, I don't trust her at home with my dad while he's drunk."

"No problem. And remember, temporary truce," he said with a small smirk. Joey grinned.

"You bet," he said. He went to bed in his normal clothes.

* * *

**Lu:** Well, what do you think? Review!

**Yami Lu:** Review, review, review. What a weird word. I reckon it should mean look at something.

**Lu:** OK, maybe you should lie down for a while.


	7. Revision still in process

**Lu:** What a treat! Two in one day!

**Yami Lu:** snore

**Lu:** I finally got her to calm down and then she falls asleep. shakes head Anyway, another disclaimer. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did, Joey and Mai would be a couple, Yami and Tea would be a couple, and maybe even Seto and Serenity.

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Breakfast**

The next morning, Joey was woken up by Kaiba shouting in his ear. "MUTT! WAKE UP!" Joey jumped out of bed. He lunged for Kaiba, knocking him to the ground.

"Don't... call... me... a... dog!" he yelled, trying to kill him, or at least severely hurt him. He felt himself being pulled off Kaiba. Serenity was laughing, and pulling Joey back by his arm.

"You wouldn't wake up any other way," she giggled. Kaiba was smirking again as he picked himself up.

"Are you OK, sis?" asked Joey. Serenity's face fell.

"Well, the bruises really, really hurt," she started.

"OK, you're not goin' to school," said Joey.

"No, Joey, I'm fine," she said quickly.

"Let me have a look," he said. Serenity groaned, but turned around. She was wearing singlet top pyjamas, so Joey could see easily without lifting her shirt. Her bruises were starting to turn slightly yellow, and the cuts were still open.

"Serenity, you're not going to school like dis," said Joey sternly.

"Fine," she said.

"Can I ring Yuge and tell him we're not comin' to school?" Joey asked Kaiba.

"Whatever," Kaiba replied. Joey picked up the phone.

"Hey, Yuge. Can you tell de teachers Serenity and I aren't comin' to school today? ... No, dad's drunk again ... I'm not sure, wait a sec while I ask," he said. "Hey, Kaiba, can de gang come 'round dis 'arvo to see how Serenity is?" he asked Kaiba. Kaiba nodded. "Yeah, you can ... OK, I'll see you den ... Peace out, Yuge," he said, and hung up the phone. "Thanks again, Kaiba..." started Joey.

"Temporary truce," Kaiba cut in. Joey grinned.

"Right," he said. "Well, I've gotta pick up some clothes and stuff from my house. Hopefully dad'll be asleep. I'll see you later." Kaiba nodded.

"Good luck, Joey," said Serenity giving him a hug.

"Hey, you need anything?" asked Joey.

"Umm, a change of clothes and my toothbrush would be helpful," she said gratefully.

"OK, I'll be back soon," he said. He left.

Kaiba stood there uncomfortably. There had been a moment that morning when he had felt really close to Serenity. They were planning on how to wake Joey up. She had given him a hug as thanks for letting her stay. He had been stunned. But it was over in a couple of seconds, and then Kaiba had had the perfect idea for waking Joey up. Just the thought of that hug made his cheeks burn.

"Are you OK?" asked Serenity, seeing Kaiba blush suddenly. Kaiba nodded quickly.

"Did you see the look on the mutt's face when I woke him up?" he said, trying to make conversation. Serenity laughed.

"He was so annoyed!" she giggled. Kaiba smirked.

"I wish I could do that more often," he said. Serenity smiled. "Anyway, do you want breakfast?" asked Kaiba. Serenity nodded.

"What do you have?" she asked.

"Not much, I haven't had time to get anything. I think Corn Flakes is the extent of food in the house at the moment," he replied.

"That's cool," she said. So they went into the dining room. Mokuba was already there, eating some Fruit Loops.

"Looks like there's Fruit Loops too," observed Kaiba.

"Corn Flakes will be fine," said Serenity with a smile. Mokuba grinned.

"Morning!" he said brightly.

"Hi Mokuba," said Serenity.

_'OK, now's the time to spark something off,'_ thought Mokuba slyly. As Serenity and Kaiba walked past, Mokuba nudged Serenity just enough that she fell over. Kaiba, hearing her cry of surprise, turned around and she fell into his arms. She stood up, blushing furiously.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I must have tripped." Kaiba was, if possible, blushing harder than Serenity. He'd liked the feel of her smooth skin when she had fallen into him, but he knew she probably didn't return his feelings. Serenity probably had a crush on someone at her school or something, not on a cold CEO who was her brother's worst enemy.

"Err... no problem," he grunted, and turned back to the cupboard. Mokuba was annoyed.

_'That works in the movies,'_ he thought. _'OK, maybe there is more than one way. Maybe...'_ he thought, and got up.

"I'm done," he said, and put his bowl in the sink. He skipped out. He found the heater controls and turned the heat up. _'If she feels hot, she might feel sick. Then Seto will have to look after her,'_ he thought cheekily. He peeked inside. Kaiba and Serenity were both sitting at the table, eating their cereal in silence. Serenity started to look red.

"Are you OK?" Kaiba asked her, seeing her face turn red.

"Just a little hot," she said. Kaiba pressed his hand to her forehead.

"You're really hot," he said. _'In more than one way,'_ he thought. "Are you sure you're not sick?" he asked.

"No, I don't feel sick, just hot," she said.

"Maybe Mokuba's been playing with the heater again," he said suspiciously. "I'll go check." Mokuba sprang into action, turning the heater off in one swift movement, and running into another room. Kaiba came out. He checked the heater, and looked around. He shrugged and went back in.

"No, it's off. Maybe I should get you something cold. Do you think you need anything?" he asked.

"No, I'm starting to cool down. Thanks anyway," she replied with a small smile.

"Hey, shouldn't your brother be back now?" asked Kaiba.

"Yeah, you'd think so," she said slowly. "Maybe he is." She got up, placed her bowl in the sink, and walked out, followed by Kaiba. As they entered the hall, Joey came back in the house, carrying a bag.

"Hey, Joey! How'd it go?" said Serenity.

"Good. I'm tired. I'm gonna go back to bed," he said quickly, keeping his face turned away from them. He dropped the bag, walked into his room and shut the door.

"What was that about?" asked Serenity. Kaiba shrugged.

"You wanna come with me when I drop Mokuba to school?" he asked. Serenity nodded and smiled.

"Just let me get changed," she said. She opened the bag Joey had brought in, and took out a change of clothes. She went into the room that she had slept in, and closed the door. A minute later, she was out again, wearing a pale pink t-shirt that cut off just above her stomach, and a denim mini- skirt. Kaiba stared at her, mouth hanging open slightly.

"Shall we go?" she asked, when Kaiba said nothing. He snapped out of his trance and nodded.

"Mokuba, are you ready to go?" he shouted. Mokuba came running out of his room, wearing his school uniform and carrying a backpack.

"Yep," he said.

"OK, let's go," said Kaiba, and headed towards the door. The trio went outside, and walked to Kaiba's limo. Mokuba got in the back seat. Kaiba opened the door for Serenity. She blushed and smiled.

"Thanks," she said. Kaiba got in the other side, and they drove off. When they got back, Serenity and Kaiba were laughing and talking like old friends. Well, Serenity was laughing. They went inside, but then Kaiba had to go to work.

"Don't worry, I think Mokuba's got a whole load of video games set up in that room there," said Kaiba, pointing to a door. Serenity smiled.

"OK, I'll see you this afternoon," she said, and Kaiba left.


	8. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Hello again! Yami has recovered fine.

**Yami Lu:** I didn't do anything embarrassing, did I?

**Lu:** Err... no... anyway, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! On with the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 8 – To The Hospital**

Later that afternoon, the doorbell rang. Serenity answered it.

"Hey Serenity," said Yugi, as Tea, Tristan, Mai and Ryou smiled.

"How are you?" asked Tea.

"I'm fine. Joey made me stay home. I wanted to go to school," replied Serenity.

"I'm sure he thought it was for the best," said Yugi.

"Can we come in?" asked Mai.

"Sure. Kaiba's at work. He'll probably be home soon. Joey's asleep," said Serenity.

"Well, it's about time he got up," said Tristan. "Where is he?"

"In that room," said Serenity. Tristan opened the door.

"He's not in here," he said.

"What?" said Serenity, running up and looking in the room. No one was in the bed, although the sheets were crumpled like someone had been in them recently.

"Where is he?" said Mai, coming up behind Serenity.

"I don't know," said Serenity.

"OK, split up and look for him," ordered Mai. "I'll look around here." The others nodded and walked in different directions. Mai entered Joey's room. "Joey, are you in here?" she called. She saw another door off to the side. She opened it and went inside. It was a bathroom. She looked around and saw someone curled up in the corner, his arms around his legs. "Joey?" she said. He didn't reply. "Joseph Wheeler, what are you doing?" she demanded. Silence. "Joey, are you OK?" she said, slightly softer than before. Still no reply. She went closer, and saw that his breathing was staggered. "Joey?" she said, even softer. As she moved even closer, his shaking shoulders made it obvious he was crying. She knelt down beside him. She put her hands under his chin, and lifted his head up. He stared back at her, eyes red from crying. He had a black eye and a nosebleed. "Joey!" Mai exclaimed. "What happened?" He turned his face away. He didn't want Mai to see him like that. "Joey, look at me!" she said. Joey looked back at her, his eyes glistening with tears. "Now, please, tell me what happened," she said quietly.

"It's... my dad," he said hoarsely.

"What did he do?" she asked.

"He's drunk," he said.

"And he..." began Mai. Joey nodded. He started to sob.

"Oh, Joey..." she said softly, putting her arms around his shoulders. He cried into her shoulder. "Joey, come on, it'll be OK," she said soothingly.

"I don't know what to do. He keeps on hurtin' Serenity and I, and we can't do anythin' about it," he said between sobs.

"Joey, you know my house is open anytime, and everyone else is willing to let you stay too," said Mai. For some reason, that just made Joey cry harder.

"I can't just keep runnin' away from my problems. I need to do somethin' about it. But I don't know what. Every time that I try and stop him hurtin' one of us, I get hurt in de process," he sobbed. Mai hugged him. Everyone else walked in, including Kaiba and Mokuba.

"What? What happened?" said Serenity, running to Joey.

"It was dad," he said. Mai hugged him again.

"C'mon, Joey. You can sleep over at my house tonight," she said. He started sobbing again.

"I can't," he wailed. "I still have 8 more days in Kaiba's house." Kaiba stood there guiltily.

"Look, just go. I won't tease Tea and Yugi, and you don't have to do what I say," he said. Joey wiped his eyes.

"Really?" he said. Kaiba nodded.

"I know what it's like to have family problems, so just go," he said. Mai stood up, and helped Joey up. He stood up, but his right leg crumpled. Mai caught him just in time.

"Joey, what's the matter?" she asked tenderly.

"My leg..." he said weakly. Serenity knelt down and inspected it.

"Oh my god. The back of his knee has been cut," she said quietly. Mai swore loudly.

"Come on," she said, helping Joey up. She quickly put his right arm over her shoulder, so there was no pressure on his leg.

"Oh my god, Joey!" exclaimed Tea, pointing at his shirt. It was bloody. Mai helped Joey back into the bedroom, and let him collapse on the bed. She lifted up his shirt, revealing several small but deep cuts and a lot of bruises.

"Oh god. Joey, what did he do to you?" said Mai under her breath.

"I'm not sure. I passed out. When I came to he was asleep and I was able to get out of dere," he said weakly.

"How did you do that when the back of your leg was cut?" asked Tristan. Joey replied "I don't know," without looking him in the eyes. Tristan knew there was more to this than Joey was letting on.

"Kaiba, do you have anything?" Mai said, looking at Kaiba.

"I don't think so, not for anything that serious," said Kaiba.

"Come on, man, we gotta get him something," said Tristan, grabbing Kaiba by his collar. Ryou pulled Tristan off.

"Tristan, he just said he didn't have anything," said Ryou. Tristan sighed.

"I'm sorry. We just gotta get something to help him."

"We should probably get him to a hospital," said Kaiba.

"Kaiba, can you provide some kind of transport?" said Yugi. Kaiba nodded. Serenity swooped on Kaiba, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you so much," she said. Kaiba blushed furiously.

"Err... that's OK..." he said hesitantly. Mai helped Joey up, and put his arm around her shoulders. "This way," said Kaiba, leading them out of the house.

"Tristan and I will stay behind with Mokuba," said Ryou, grabbing Tristan by the back of his shirt.

"What? Ryou!" said Tristan. "I wanna help Joey!"

"You know what, I think I might stay behind too. It's easier for Kaiba to take a small amount of people to the hospital. We'll come and see you later, Joey," said Tea. Joey tried to wave goodbye, but Mai stopped him.

"Joey, don't move much. It'll make it hurt more," she said sternly. She half-carried Joey to the car, and lay him down on the back seat. "Yugi, you sit in the front. Kaiba, you drive. Serenity, you sit in the seats at the back. I'll try and help Joey," she commanded. Serenity opened her mouth to protest, but Mai gave her a glare. Everyone did exactly what they were told to after that. Mai lifted Joey's head up, and laid it on her lap as she sat down. "Are you OK?" she said quietly. He gave a small nod. As he looked into her eyes, his eyes filled with tears again, and he looked away. Kaiba started the engine.

* * *

**Lu:** What do you think? Review!

**Yami Lu:** Are you sure I didn't ruin my reputation yesterday?

**Lu:** Look, Yami, let's just say that you were slightly high. OK, a lot high.

**Yami Lu:** Oh dear god.

**Lu:** Got to go. Review!


	9. Revision still in process

Lu: Hello again! Next chappie is coming up! Isn't this fun?

Yami Lu: Err... no.

Lu: Well, you don't count. Anyway, read!

* * *

**Chapter 9 – Mai or Mum?**

They were soon at the hospital, and Joey was taken off with Serenity. "Cause?" asked one doctor.

"Umm... a fall," lied Serenity.

"OK, we'll see what we can do," said the doctor. Serenity nodded, and returned to the waiting room where Yugi and Mai were sitting patiently, and Kaiba leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and an 'I-really- couldn't-care-less' look on his face. Yugi stood up and went to Serenity.

"How is he?" he asked.

"Not too good," she said sadly. "The doctor says they'll have to keep him overnight."

"Hey, did you notice how he looked like he was lying when he said he didn't know how he got to Kaiba's house?" said Yugi quietly.

"Yeah. I reckon he knows exactly how he got back, he just doesn't want to tell us," whispered Serenity.

"OK, I'll ask him later," said Yugi. Serenity nodded. Kaiba approached them.

"Umm... Serenity, umm... I was wondering if you would like to spend the night... 'cause, you know, my house is closest to here and all..." he said, his cheeks burning. Serenity smiled.

"That would be nice," she said. Yugi looked from Kaiba to Serenity, and walked off to join Mai. He felt he wasn't needed in that conversation anymore. Serenity and Kaiba didn't notice. They simply stared at each other with small smiles on their faces.

"I don't know what's going on between those two, so I think it's best if I step away," he sighed, plonking himself on the seat next to Mai. Mai nodded.

"I'm really sorry, Yugi, I've got to go. I promised my mum I'd be back an hour ago," she said, standing up. Yugi stood up with her.

"I better ring Grandpa and tell him where I am," he said. "Bye Mai."

"Say sorry to Joey for me!" she called as she walked out the door. Yugi rang his grandfather, and then went back to sitting patiently. A doctor came out of the ward.

"How is he?" asked Yugi.

"We'll have to keep him overnight, and he'll have to have stitches on his leg. He'll probably have crutches for a week," said the doctor.

"Can we go and see him?" asked Yugi.

"Anytime," said the doctor cheerfully. Yugi disturbed Serenity and Kaiba, who were still staring at each other.

"The doctor says we can say hello to Joey now," he said.

"Huh?" said Serenity, tearing her eyes away from Kaiba.

"You can say hi to your brother," said Yugi shortly. Serenity's smile widened. She entered the ward, steps light. Joey was staring blankly off into space, but smiled as he saw her.

"Hey sis," he said.

"How are you? What did the doctors say about everything?" she asked anxiously.

"I'm OK. The doctors said dat I have to stay here overnight, and I have to have stitches in my legs. So I'll be on crutches for a little bit of next week," he said, sighing.

"Well, it's better than people asking questions," said Serenity. Joey nodded.

"Hey, Joey, I've gotta ask you something. How did you get from our house to Kaiba's mansion? And don't say I don't know. I know you do," she said as Joey opened his mouth. He closed it again, thought for a moment and then sighed.

"Fine. He didn't actually hurt my leg at home. He did hurt my face, but not my leg. I went back to de mansion. And den, while you and Kaiba and Mokuba were out, he came. I think he told de security dat he was pickin' us up. He came in, found me sleepin', and den he started shoutin' at me. He asked me what I was doin' dere. I told him I was at a friend's house. He said dat I was weak to have friends. I said friends are what give me my strength. He said you only need yourself to be strong. I asked him why he married mum den. He... he said he did it for de money. I said women are more dan dat. He said dat women are dere to marry, take their money and divorce. I started shouting at him saying dat Mai's more dan dat... I mean, mum's more dan dat. He grabbed de closest thing at threw it at me. I shut up. He continued to chuck stuff at me, taking it randomly out of de drawers. Eventually he found a knife in one of de drawers, and started advancin' on me. I tried to kick it, but he managed to cut my leg. Den one of de security guards came in, wonderin' what all de shoutin' was about. He stopped dad, and escorted him off de grounds. I thanked him, and pleaded with him not to tell anyone. Happy now?" he said. Serenity stared wide-eyed at him.

"Why did you say Mai instead of mum?" she said suddenly, in a curious voice.

"Well... Mai kinda entered the conversation at one point," he said evasively.

"You like Mai don't you?" Serenity said, a small smile spreading across her face.

"No!" he said quickly. Yugi came in, followed by Kaiba.

"Hey Joey! How are you?" said Yugi in a falsely cheerful voice. Serenity turned around, and Joey mouthed 'Thanks Yuge'.

"OK," he said out loud. Kaiba cleared his throat.

"We heard the whole conversation. I apologise for the lack of security at the mansion. I shall see to it that we get upgrades. And also, it is fairly obvious you like Mai, so don't deny it," he said with a smirk. Joey blushed furiously.

"Is it really dat obvious?" he said desperately. Everyone nodded. Joey groaned.

"It's pretty obvious she likes you too though," said Yugi.

"You think so?" said Joey thoughtfully.

"Joey, you need only look at today to see that. The moment she saw you were hurt it was all 'Do this' and 'Do that'. She wouldn't even let your own sister sit with you, because she wanted to. She's never like that unless you're hurt. Remember when she had the Shadow Duel with Marik, and she lost her memories? She was depressed when she lost Tea's memory, but she was in tears when she lost you," said Yugi.

"And then, when Marik paralysed you, she immediately asked what he did to you, rather than try and protect herself. She cares about you a lot, Joey," said Serenity. Everyone looked at Kaiba. He remained silent, wondering what the hell they were looking at him for.

"Serenity, we better get moving. I don't trust Ryou, Tristan and Tea at my house," he said. Joey looked from Kaiba to Serenity.

"You're goin' home with him?" he asked. Serenity nodded.

"It's better than going home, plus, it's the closest to the hospital," she said.

Joey grunted. "Whatever." Serenity waved goodbye and ran over to Kaiba. They walked out side by side. Yugi stared after them.

"What is it with those two?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" said Joey suspiciously. Yugi realised what he'd said.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "Anyway, I better get home to Grandpa. I told him I'd be back soon. I'll come and see you tomorrow after school."

"Wait, Yuge!" shouted Joey. Yugi turned around. "Thanks for everythin'. And if you see Kaiba, thank him too. Thank everyone. I know it must be really irritatin' for everyone, havin' me and Serenity around all de time. But we really appreciate it. I don't believe what my dad said. Friends are all dat I have worth livin' for," he said bitterly. Yugi approached him.

"There are plenty of things worth living for, Joey. Your sister. Yes, your friends. What about Mai? What would she have done if you hadn't protected her?" he said sternly, grabbing Joey by the shoulders. Joey stared at him.

"I... I don't know," he stammered.

"Joey, you have lots of things worth living for. Don't forget it," said Yugi, smiling slightly. Joey nodded. Yugi turned around and walked out, leaving Joey to think about everything that had happened.

* * *

**Lu:** I'm running out of things to write. Oh well!

**Yami Lu:** You're sad. Really sad.

**Lu:** Whatever. Review!


	10. Revision still in process

**Lu: **Hey guys! Just wanted to let you all know that the revision will actually be finished one day, but as it is now, I'm just reposting all the chapters and taking down the lyrics. So ignore all this!

**

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**Chapter 10 – Behind Joey's Back**

Serenity awoke the next morning to find Mokuba leaning over her. She sat bolt upright. Mokuba rolled on the ground laughing.

"Bet you weren't expecting that, huh?" he grinned. Serenity gave a small laugh.

"No, I guess not," she said truthfully.

"Are you going to school today?" asked Mokuba.

"I'd like to see my brother first," she said.

"I'll get the limo ready," said a voice from the door. Serenity peered around Mokuba to see Kaiba standing at the ready. Serenity nodded and gave him a huge smile.

"Thanks again for letting me stay," she said. Kaiba tried a small smile and Serenity laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen you smile," she said.

"Well, now you have," he said. Serenity smiled. "Shall we go?" he said.

"I've gotta get changed first," said Serenity.

"OK, but hurry. If you're going to go to school today..." began Kaiba.

"I think I'd prefer to stay with my brother, if that's OK," said Serenity. Kaiba nodded. He walked out of the room, followed by Mokuba. Serenity sighed.

"He's so sweet. If only someone else could see it," she thought.

Kaiba leant against the wall outside the room. "Why do I care for her so much? I care for few people but those I do care for, I care for a lot. Serenity, Mokuba and myself. That's about it. I suppose I kinda care for Yugi and Co. I mean, I'd save them. But only because they saved me in the Virtual Reality. That's the only reason." His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Serenity, wearing a white sleeveless top and a lavender mini- skirt.

"Shall we go?" she said, smiling. Kaiba blushed and nodded. Serenity laughed. "Why do you always blush when I'm around?" she asked curiously. That made Kaiba blush harder. She grabbed his arm. "Let's go," she said. Kaiba found himself being dragged out of the house and into the car by the only person he had feelings for.

Kaiba took Serenity to the hospital and walked her in. Serenity immediately ran to see Joey, while Kaiba followed behind doggedly. Serenity burst into the ward, earning some disapproving looks from nearby doctors and nurses. Joey was sitting up in bed, reading a book.

"Joey!" she shouted, and ran over to him. He looked up, smiling.

"Hey sis. How are ya?" he asked. Kaiba entered the room and slumped against the wall.

"I'm good. I'm not going to school today, I don't want to leave you here on your own," she replied.

"Your back?" he asked. Since she was wearing a singlet top, she turned around and showed him. The bruises were slowly fading, and the cuts were closed, leaving nothing but scars. Joey smiled.

"It's gettin' better. Anyway, how did you get here?" he asked. Serenity turned to Kaiba, beaming.

"Kaiba gave me a lift," she said. Kaiba stood there smugly.

"Hey Kaiba, I just gotta thank you for all dat you've done for me and Serenity over de last couple of days," said Joey. "You let Serenity come when she had nowhere else to go. You let us both stay at your house. You gave us lifts to de hospital. You let Serenity sleep over last night so she would be home with our dad. So I just wanna say thanks." Kaiba stayed in his sullen silence.

"He says your welcome," said Serenity. Joey laughed.

"Since when did you become de expert on Kaiba?" he asked. Serenity smiled and shrugged. "Anyway, thanks again Kaiba," he said, turning to Kaiba with his trademark goofy grin on his face. Kaiba continued to remain silent. "What's up with him?" whispered Joey.

"Joey, he's not used to people being nice to him," said Serenity quietly.

"I guess you're right," he sighed.

"Excuse me, but we are going to put your stitches in now, Mr. Wheeler," said a doctor, entering the room. Joey nodded.

"I'll see you in a while," said Serenity, exiting the room, followed by Kaiba.

Kaiba and Serenity sat in the waiting room. They were alone. The secretary seemed to have disappeared, and no one else sat with them.

"Umm... Seto, I have to tell you something," began Serenity uneasily. Kaiba turned to her.

"Well, umm... I don't know how to say this. Umm..." she stuttered.

She then did something bold and unexpected. She pulled Kaiba close to her and kissed him. Kaiba was startled but responded.

But after ten seconds, Serenity pulled herself away. Her eyes filled with tears. "Oh my god, Seto, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry," she said, and got up. She ran into the bathroom.

Kaiba touched his lips. "Did that just happen? Did Serenity just kiss me?" he asked himself. "Does that mean she likes me too?"

Serenity sat in the corner of a cubicle, trying to remain silent. Tears were pouring down her face. "Why did I do that? Behind my brother's back? And to the one person he truly hates?" she thought desperately.

Kaiba knocked on the door of the girls bathrooms. "Serenity?" he called. "I've got to tell her I have feelings for her, since she just expressed hers," he thought. Serenity emerged from the bathroom, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

Kaiba put his arms around her. "It's OK, don't worry," he whispered. Serenity cried into his chest.

"But I just kissed someone who doesn't have feelings for me, and you're my brother's worst enemy, and I did it all behind his back, and..."

Seto pressed his finger to her lips. "Serenity, whoever said I didn't have feelings for you lied," he said. Serenity looked up at him, sniffing.

"Really? You like me?" she asked, accompanying her question with a watery smile.

Kaiba lifted her chin up, nodded, and gently kissed her on the lips. She kissed back, but pulled away again after a while.

"But what about Joey? I can't do this behind his back," she said. Kaiba pulled her close to him, putting his arms around her.

"It's OK. It'll all work out. Yes, Joey will have to find out at some point. But..."

Serenity pulled away. "I can't do anything behind his back. He does so much to protect me; I can't just blow him off like that. If either of us can get up the courage to tell him, then I'll be happy to involve in this relationship," she said.

Kaiba sat down, sighing. He knew it wasn't really his job to tell Joey. Serenity would have to break the news to him.

Joey emerged from the ward on crutches. "Another week and I'll be fine," he said happily.

When nothing but silence greeted him, he began to look from Kaiba to Serenity. Serenity was standing with her back to Kaiba, and Kaiba was staring at Serenity with a mournful expression on his face.

"Hello?" he said. Serenity snapped out of her trance.

"Huh? Oh, Joey!" she said, running over to him and giving him a hug.

"Whoa, careful on the crutches dere, sis," he said jokingly.

Serenity gave a forced laugh. Joey didn't notice.

Kaiba stood up. "I better go. Mokuba will need me to pick him up from school," he said hurriedly. He exited the scene.

Serenity stared after him with a look of longing on her face. Joey stared after him with a look of displeasure on his face.

"Now dat he's gone, do you want to fill me in on what's been happening?" said Joey finally.

"Sure," sighed Serenity, and launched into detail of the incidents over the last couple of days, carefully avoiding the subject of 'during the operation'.

The rest of the gang visited Joey that afternoon. They brought around lots and lots of food, as they expected that the hospital food wouldn't quite fill Joey up. They were right.

* * *

**Lu:** Well, that's the end of the "prologue". Long prologue, huh? The story that I began with begins in the next chapter! The song, Behind Blue Eyes, suits Kaiba so much that it is almost impossible to believe it. It's almost scary. I swear, Kazuki Takahashi based Kaiba on this song! Just the phrase 'Behind Blue Eyes', suits Kaiba on two levels – he has blue eyes duh and he has a Blue Eyes White Dragon. Just read the song carefully and compare it with Kaiba.

**Yami Lu:** Please, do us all a favour and review. She goes hyper when nobody reviews her. Save me the horror of putting up with her and review!


	11. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Hello, and welcome to the real story! Well, the beginning of the real story. I'm sorry, but the actual story begins next chapter! Sorry! But this is just like a bridge between the story and the prologue.

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**Chapter 11 – Meat Dripping with Fat**

The next week was fairly uneventful, except for Joey getting his stitches out and his crutches taken away. He was told not to do too much rigorous exercise, because his leg might not have been able to take it.

Two weekends after the recounted incident, the school holidays began. The holidays at Domino High were based around the Duel Monsters tournaments, since so many students participated in them. Kaiba's tournament was to start in a week, so the gang needed to get moving if they wanted to get there in time. It was in a city not far from Domino as the crow flies, but no one had a car so they were walking. So the group decided they would set off on the Monday after school broke up. Serenity was at camp for the first couple of days before the tournament started, but her friend at the camp lived close to the city, and offered to give her a lift.

Yugi hung the thick chain that held his Millennium Puzzle around his neck, and the connection between him and his Yami began once again.

/Hello, Yugi/ said Yami's deep voice from the soul room.

/ Hi Yami// said Yugi cheerfully. / Ready for the tournament//

Yami nodded. /I'm looking forward to it./

/We better get going; I told the guys that we'd meet them in fifteen minutes. Have you checked out the deck/ asked Yugi, referring to the changes that he had made to their deck last night.

/Yes. I think that you have made some very good changes/ said Yami.

Yugi smiled. /Thanks./

/Let's go. I don't think Joey will be able to wait/ smirked Yami.

/Yes he will. The doctor told him not to do much exercise for the next couple of weeks. Mai'll make him calm down/ said Yugi.

Yami laughed. /I'll bet she will./

Yugi laughed in reply. /Yeah. Let's go, before one of them comes around here looking for us./

Yugi met Joey, Tristan, Tea and Mai at the last house before the city opened up onto the country. Yami had been right - Joey was eager to go, and Mai was holding him back.

"Come on, let's go!" said Joey, straining against Mai's grip. Mai sighed and released him. That caused him to fall over. Tristan laughed.

"Great job there, Wheeler," he chuckled.

"Shaddup, Tristan," muttered Joey, picking himself up.

"Let's go," said Yugi. "We gotta get moving if we plan on getting there in plenty of time, preferably a couple of days."

Everyone nodded. So they set off.

"Joey, slow down. You know what the doctor said," said Mai after a while when Joey was becoming very hyperactive.

"Oh, Mai, come on, give me a break. I can't help it dat I haven't had any exercise in de last couple of days, and I need to have a decent amount each day. And, to fill up de time I usually shoot hoops etc. so on and so forth, I eat. So I have more to eat and less exercise," complained Joey.

Mai grabbed the back of his shirt. "At least walk in the middle of the group," she prompted.

Joey was about to refuse, but then Mai said "For me?"

Tea, Tristan and Yugi knew what was going to happen. Joey liked Mai too much to refuse a request like that. He had risked his life for her once, and they were sure that he would obey a simple command like that.

Joey looked at Mai and sighed. "Fine," he said, and dropped back. Tristan prodded him in the back. Joey ignored him.

That night, they set up camp. Tea and Mai planned on sleeping in Mai's tent, while the other three were going to sleep outside.

"What's dere to eat?" asked Joey eagerly around the campfire.

"I think I got something we can cook in here," said Tristan, digging into his backpack. "Ah ha!" he said, extracting a small package.

"What is it?" asked Tea.

"Just a bit of meat, but something none the less," said Tristan.

"Tristan, that meat is dripping in fat," exclaimed Mai in disgust.

"But it's still food," said Joey, grabbing the parcel from Tristan, and chucking it into the fire. "It'll be done soon."

A couple of minutes later, the boys were wolfing down the meat. Tea and Mai stared at Yugi, Joey and Tristan in disgust.

"I can't see how you guys can eat that," said Tea.

"It's nice. 'Ere, 'ave some," said Tristan, with his mouth full of food. He chucked a piece at Tea, who made a sound of repulsion and backed away.

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**Lu:** Yay! All done. Warning: I may not be able to update once per day because I've got a novella to write for school. I'm so sorry!

**Yami Lu:** Yeah, she's gotta write a thriller story. Ha!

**Lu:** Shut up! Review!


	12. Revision still in process

**Lu:** This is it! The beginning of the major story! hyper-ventilates It's finally here! After 11 days, I'm finally posting up the actual story.

**Yami Lu:** Whoop-de-do, shout for joy. Can I go and hang out with my friends?

**Lu:** That's it for now! Read and review!

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**Chapter 12 – The Millennium Ring**

The next morning, they set off again. But Yugi, Joey and Mai realised that they knew very little about the tournament.

"I should've asked Kaiba about it when I was at his house," groaned Joey. "I hope dis doesn't turn out like de Battle City."

The Battle City tournament that Kaiba had held was a disaster - Mai's mind had become locked in the Shadow Realm and a psychotic 16 year old had tried to kill Yugi.

"Too late now, Joey," said Yugi. "All we've got are these maps."

"Anyway, it won't turn out like the Battle City tournament. Kaiba did write in the letter that there is better security, and it was only by invitation," said Mai.

"We better get going. It would be nice to get over that hill by midday," said Tea.

So they started the long day of walking, unaware of any danger that might be haunting their steps. They kept a good speed, considering Joey's leg and Mai's concern.

But they were soon stopped by a dark figure on the road ahead. The area they were in had suddenly become dark and misty.

"Yami, I don't like this," said Yugi nervously.

"I'll take over," said Yami

The Millennium Puzzle around Yugi's neck flashed, and Yami Yugi appeared.

Tea immediately blushed. _'How can he just appear so suddenly? He startles me, and then I get all tongue-tied. Why did I have to like my best friend's alter ego?'_ she thought.

In the mist surrounding the mysterious person, a light glowed brightly from an object around his neck. It was shaped like a dream-catcher, but with a Millennium symbol in the centre.

"Who is it?" whispered Tea.

"Who are you?" yelled Yami. The figure said nothing.

"Show yourself!" Yami shouted.

"Yeah, come on, you coward!" shouted Joey, backing up Yami.

An evil laugh came from the mist. The figure emerged.

It was Ryou, but he was different. His hair looked as though he had been struck by lightning. A shadow fell over his eyes.

"Bakura!" muttered Yami.

"Hello, Bel um Fal," said Bakura, in a voice unlike Ryou.

"Ryou, control your Millennium Ring! Come on, Ryou, break free!" shouted Yami at Ryou. An evil grin spread across Bakura's face.

"Ryou is under my control now," he smirked.

Yami scowled. "Let him go!" he said loudly.

"Too late, Yami Yugi, he's mine," Bakura replied. "You do know what I want, don't you?"

"Yes," Yami sighed. "Revenge."

"That's right, Yami," Bakura smiled. "Your people killed my village, just so you could make the Millennium items. Sure, it was 5000 years ago, but things like that just don't go away quickly. Now, Pharaoh, you and your people will pay!"

Yami suddenly froze. The two spirits talked to one another, but nobody else heard.

/What/ said Yugi to Yami.

/Don't worry/ Yami replied. /This is between me and Bakura. But by the sound of it, you and your friends might be in danger. As you know, I am the spirit of an Egyptian Pharaoh, and I was the one who locked away the monsters. But my chief councillor insisted that we make items that will forever preserve our souls, the Millennium items. We needed the blood of many people to make those items. So the chief councillor chose a whole village to sacrifice so as to make the items. But that village was Bakura's village. He sealed his soul in one of the items, the Millennium Ring that Ryou now possesses./

/Why didn't you tell me this before, Yami/ Yugi asked.

/Because it was not necessary that you knew./ Yami replied. /But by the sound of it, Bakura wants revenge on me, and will destroy my people. I'm afraid that that might mean you and your friends, Yugi./

Yugi and Yami were interrupted at that point by Joey.

"Hey, Yami, are you OK? You look a bit spaced out."

"Yes, Joey, I'm fine." said Yami, snapping out of his trance. "Now, Bakura, what do you want?"

"I want a duel. Oh, and you might want to take these." Bakura handed Yami several monster cards. Yami looked at them and gasped. They were monster cards, but the monsters names were Joey, Yami, Tea, Tristan and Mai. **_A/N: Yes, I am perfectly aware that Yami is already a field magic card. But I am making it a monster card in here as well._**

"What is it, Yami?" Joey asked.

"Look at this," Yami said, and handed the cards to Joey.

"Whoa, what are you playing at, Bakura?" said Joey, eyes widening as he saw pictures of him and his friends on monster cards. Bakura smiled evilly again, and chuckled.

"Well, I did say I wanted revenge on the pharaoh, and what better way to do it than to do the same to him as he did to me - kill his friends and family."

Yami's forehead creased, as he realized that all his friends were in serious danger. If they were to accept the duel, all of them could easily be hurt.

"What if I don't want to duel, Bakura?" asked Yami.

"Well, you see, that isn't an option. While we were talking, I have had all of us transported to the Shadow Realm. The only way to get out of here is to beat me in a duel. And if one of your 'monsters' is sent to the graveyard, well, there is a very small chance of them returning to the real world."

Tristan's mouth opened slightly, Joey stared at Bakura blankly, Mai looked shocked, Tea looked like she was about to cry and Yami tried to maintain his balance, but he had just cried out "NO" inside himself.

/Don't worry Yugi. I have duelled for a very long time. I should be able to beat Bakura./ encouraged Yami.

/But, Yami, if we play your card, I'll have to duel. I'm not sure I can take that pressure/ said Yugi.

/Yugi, believe in the heart of the cards/ said Yami. /And I can promise that they will be alive at the end of this duel./

/But Yami.../ Yugi began.

/Trust me Yugi./ Yami cut in. /You can get all of us out of this alive./

Yami addressed his friends. "We are going to have to risk it."

"So, Bel um Fal, do you accept?" asked Bakura with a small manic grin.

"It seems we don't have much of a choice," replied Yami.

"That's right, little Yami," taunted Bakura.

Yami scowled. "It's time to duel! Are you too scared to start?"

Bakura smiled evilly and withdrew his deck from his pocket. "I hope you have room for those cards Yami, otherwise you and your friends are stuck here. Permanently," he grinned.

Yami removed his deck from his pocket and quickly counted his cards. "47" he muttered, and inserted the 5 new cards into the deck. "52" he muttered again, and placed the deck on the field. Joey, Tristan, Tea and Mai stood behind Yugi.

"Yami, we know you can win!" shouted Joey.

"Yeah, Yami, you've won loads of times before," encouraged Tristan.

"You're bigger than this, Yami, you can beat that creep!" shouted Mai. Tea was staring at Yami. Joey elbowed her in the ribs.

"Ow, what? Oh, yeah, Yami, you can do it! Your friends are with you!" cheered Tea.

They all looked at her. Yami glanced at Joey, who shrugged and mouthed "What's up with her?" Yami shrugged back and turned to face his opponent.

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**Lu:** My first bit of Yami/Tea! Not much, but it's something. And before you blow on me, I know that that stuff about the Millennium items and Bakura is wrong. So I'm sorry.

**Yami Lu:** Why don't you go back and change it?

**Lu:** 'Cause I've got that stupid novella. Maybe I'll post it on Fiction Press when I've finished. Not that I've ever been on fiction press. If I ever do put it on the net, I'll be sure to tell y'all. Review!


	13. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I slept over at Inwe's house, and had to do homework. So, here's the duel!

**Yami Lu:** Whoa, I wish I could duel as well as Yami Bakura. I'm gonna go and get him to teach me.

**Lu:** Fine. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, that is all I need say.

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**Chapter 13 – Duel: Yami Bakura vs Yami Yugi – Part 1**

"You ready, my Pharoah?" Bakura asked with another evil grin.

"Let's duel!" shouted Yami.

They each drew 5 cards. Yami looked at his hand. Kuriboh, Joey, Multiply, Tristan and Acid Trap Hole.

"Your go, little Yami," jeered Bakura.

"I play Kuriboh, in attack mode. I also play Multiply, which duplicates my Kuriboh. I'll now play one card face down to end my turn." He placed the cards onto the minature playfield. A wall of Kuriboh appeared on the field, as well as a face down card. Bakura scowled.

"Impressive first move, Bel um Fal, but here's mine." He placed one card face down and a monster face up. "This is Seyairya. He has an attack power of 2500 and a defense power of 2300. Sure, he cannot destroy your army of Kuriboh, but it will prove to be a good defensive monster. I also play one card face down." The face down card appeared on the field, as well as a monster with blades on its arms.

Yami drew a card from his deck. It was the Dark Magician. "I play the Dark Magician in attack mode," shouted Yami, and lay the card down on the card field. His favourite card appeared on the field. "It has an attack power of 2800, so it can take out your monster."

Bakura grinned.

"But I won't attack yet." Yami continued. Bakura's face fell.

"I think I am right in saying that the face down card is a trap, and I don't want to put my friends lives on the line," said Yami.

Bakura scowled and drew a card. "I will just end my turn here." he said in a disappointed voice.

Yami drew another card to begin his turn. "Tea," he muttered as his eyes rested on her picture.

/Yugi, it's getting too dangerous. If he uses a Magic Card that causes me to discard my hand, Tea, Tristan and Joey will be sent to the graveyard./ said Yami to Yugi.

/OK, but please, be careful. These guys are like family to me/ replied Yugi.

Yami placed Joey's card on the field. "I place Joey on the field." He glanced behind him, and saw that Joey had disappeared. He swung around and saw Joey on the field, looking confused.

"What, huh, where am I? Yami, what happened?" Joey turned around and looked at Yami.

"Joey, I've played you. You have an attack power of 2800 and a defense power of 2500, so you have very little chance of being destroyed. Just stay behind the Kuribohs until I tell you to attack." said Yami very quickly. Joey nodded and turned back to the duel.

"That will end my turn," said Yami to Bakura.

Bakura drew a card and groaned. "I'll end my turn here."

"Not a good draw, eh, Bakura?" taunted Joey. Bakura scowled at Joey.

"At least my life is not about to end," he retorted. Joey fell silent.

Yami drew his next card. "The Celtic Guardian," he muttered. "I will place a monster face down on the field in defence mode."

"Tea!" Mai shouted as Tea disappeared.

"Yami, why am I down here?" asked Tea.

"I just played you," said Yami with a sigh. "I suppose I better put you face up, because now Bakura knows who it is." He turned the card over on his play field.

"Oh my gosh, Yami, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter. I thought I could just give you a bit of extra protection." Yami said. "Your turn, Bakura." **_A/N: Hmm… protection, eh? That's what you want us to think, huh Yami?_**

Bakura drew a card and grinned. "Finally. I will use this magic card on my Seiyarya. It raises its attack points by 700, therefore making it stronger than your monsters. I also play this card, which allows me to deactivate any card on the field for one turn. I wish to deactivate Multiply, so I can attack your other monsters behind the wall."

The hundreds of Kuriboh vanished, leaving one Kuriboh.

Yami was shocked. He could now attack any of his friends at will, because the Kuriboh wall was the only defense between his monsters and Bakura's monsters.

"Seiyarya, attack Joey now!" "No!" Yami cried as the monster started to sprint towards his best friend. The trap card he had laid was useless against a monster with over 2000 defense points.

Joey grunted in pain as the blades on the monsters arms slashed his face, and he disappeared in a flash of light.

Yami's life points were lowered to 1600. Yami gritted his teeth. This duel was going to be more difficult than he thought.

Joey reawoke in the card graveyard. He looked around, dazed and confused.

"Yami? Yuge? Mai? Tristan? Tea? Hello? Anyone here?" he shouted. He passed his hand over the place where the Seiyarya had struck him. But he felt no wound, and when he took his hand away from his face, he saw no blood.

"Doesn't look like monster wounds last," he commented, and began exploring his surroundings. He remembered the intensity of the pain as the monster had slashed him, and yet he had come out of it with nothing. Around him he saw many tombstones, all with the names of monsters on them. He saw one that looked particularly clean, compared to the rest, and went to check it out. As he read the name on the tombstone he gave a cry of surprise - it said Joey Wheeler.

"Dis is too weird," he muttered. He turned around just in time to see the long scythe of the reaper of cards. He cried out in pain as it slashed his face.

Yami was trembling. He doubted if he would ever see Joey again. He only had one Monster Reborn in his deck, but by the time he drew it, it might be too late for Joey. And even then, what if another one of his friends was sent to the graveyard?

/Yami, you promised that they would all be alive/ said Yugi to Yami with tears in his eyes.

/I... I... I.../ stammered Yami.

/Yami, you must fix this! Please, for Joey's sake! What if Tea or Tristan or Mai is next? Please, help them! Help them, Yami/ said Yugi, crying on the ground.

/We must draw the right card to save Joey/ stated Yami. /You must help me do this Yugi./

Yugi looked up, tears still pouring from his eyes.

/Come on, Yugi, help me do this. I cannot do this without you/ said Yami, looking Yugi steadily in the eyes.

/OK, Yami/ said Yugi weakly, and got to his feet, still trembling slightly.

/We must draw Monster Reborn if we want any chance of saving Joey/ said Yami shortly and placed his hand on the deck.

/I'm with you, Yami/ said Yugi.

Yami woke up to the world around him and saw that Tea was crying, Mai crying even harder than Tea, and Tristan looked lost and confused.

"Draw your card, my Pharoah, but I wouldn't think that there was much hope for your friend," said Bakura grinning.

"I don't think so Bakura," said Yami confidently, and drew a card. "I play Monster Reborn!" shouted Yami, and slammed the card on the play field with relief.

Joey reappeared on the field, clutching his face.

"Joey, are you OK?" shouted Yami anxiously.

"I... I'm OK," stammered Joey. He took his hands off his face slowly, and Yami saw that there was a deep gash stretching from above his eye to his cheek. Blood was slowly seeping out of it.

"No you're not OK Joey, but I can't get you off the field," said Yami in a stressed voice. There was too much strain on the two souls.

"I will end my turn here. But remember, Bakura, your magic card's effect finishes this turn, so my Kuriboh mulitply again." The Kuriboh began to form another wall around his other monsters.

"You can't win dis, Bakura," said Joey slowly, straining to get every word out.

"Shut up, dweeb," snapped Bakura. "You were lucky to get out of that alive."

Joey scowled and shut his mouth. One thing he didn't want to do was to get on the bad side of Bakura, because he had been good friends with Ryou at school, and his Yami had still tried to kill him, and would have succeeded if it were not for Yami's Monster Reborn card.

Bakura drew a card. "I play one card face down," he said and placed the card on the field.

Yami drew a card. He smiled slightly as he read the name on the top of the trap card - Spellbinding Circle. "I play one card face down on the field," Yami announced. "And I play Tristan, in defence mode."

Tristan disappeared from Mai's side and appeared next to Tea.

"I'm sorry, my friends, but if Bakura was to play a card which would make me discard my hand, you would all go to the graveyard, and I can no longer risk that, because I do not have another Monster Reborn."

"We understand Yami," encouraged Tea.

Yami nodded and addressed Bakura: "Your turn Bakura."

"I am well aware of this, Bel um Fal," snapped Bakura. He drew a card, and another manic grin began to spread across his face.

"I play this magic card, which allows me to destroy any card on the field," he stated clearly and proudly. "I will use it to permanently discard Multiply."

The many Kuriboh began disappearing, until one little ball of fluff was left floating in front of Tristan. Tea gasped. Yugi's last defences were destroyed. How could he save them now?

"Seiyaryu," shouted Bakura. "Send Joey Wheeler to the graveyard once and for all." The bladed monster leapt forward at its master's bidding. Mai's scream pierced the air.

"Wait!" cried Yami.

"What?" exclaimed Bakura.

"Your attack has activated my trap card, Spellbinding Circle. Your Seiyaryu is trapped in this circle until this card is destroyed or deactivated." The monster squirmed inside the blinding circle of light.

"Alright, way to go Yami!" said Joey, trying to pretend that the gash down his face did not hurt.

"Impressive move, kid," said Mai, sounding sincere, and glad that she was not on the field.

"And that's not the only thing my circle does," said Yami, smiling and feeling stronger than ever thanks to his friends. "It also cuts the attack points of your monster by 700."

"What?" shouted Bakura. "That's right Bakura, your monster is being sent to the graveyard. Would you like to do the honours Joey?" asked Yami.

"It would be my pleasure," grinned Joey. He ran forward and punched the Seiyaryu in the gut.

"Wait one minute," smiled Bakura. "Had you forgotten about my trap cards? I now activate this trap card, which causes you to discard your hand and draw another 5 cards."

Fortunately, Yami had no cards in his hand that might cost him the match. Or his friends. He discarded the one card he had left. He then reached for the deck and drew another 5 cards while Seiyaryu disappeared in a flash of light.

Bakura's life points were brought down to 1700. Bakura looked angry at the fact that none of Yami's friends had gone to the graveyard.

* * *

**Lu:** I also apologize for the bad life point stuff, but I don't have the time to change it. Oh, and excuse my Yami. She's hanging out with the villain of this duel currently. And please tell me if Seiyaryu's name is spelt right. Because I don't have the internet on the computer I write this on, and I don't have time to check. Review! 


	14. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Part 2. Don't let me keep you, and since I'm posting this on the same day as the previous chapter, I don't have any reviewers. I thought the duel was longer than this, but, oh well.

* * *

**Chapter 14 – Duel: Yami Bakura vs Yami Yugi – Part 2**

Yami surveyed his new hand. Salamandra, Polymerisation, Yami, Mai and another Multiply. Yami smiled once again. "I play Multiply, which will once again multiply my army of Kuriboh." The Kuriboh once again formed a wall.

"Unfortunately, I cannot play any more monsters, so I'll attack to end my turn. Dark Magician, attack Bakura's life points!"

"I play this card, which cuts the damage that your Dark Magician does to my life points into quarters," said Bakura quickly. Bakura's life points were taken down to 1000.

"Great move, Yami! You're winning!" shouted Joey, ecstatic at the fact.

Bakura drew a card, still scowling at the fact that none of Yugi's friends had been destroyed by the trap card. But the scowl was soon replaced by a grin when he saw his draw.

"I will play this magic card, which allows me to destroy any monster on the field. I will destroy your Dark Magician, because he seems like the only one with whom you are willing to attack with," said Bakura. "Although it does not take away your life points, it means that you can only attack with Wheeler over there."

The Dark Magician card disappeared. Yami gritted his teeth. Joey was his best friend. He didn't want him to get more hurt than he already was.

"I'll end my turn here," said Bakura. Yami drew a card.

"Joey, I'm equipping you with the magic card Salamandra, which raises your attack points by 700." Joey was suddenly holding a sword of flame. Yami watched his attack points raise to 3500.

/Yugi, I'm going to play myself, it's getting too risky. Are you ready to take over/ said Yami to Yugi. Yugi nodded and braced himself.

"I play Yami, in defence mode!" shouted Yami. Tea, Joey, Tristan and Mai looked at the short, innocent Yugi on the duelling platform, and then down at the tall, strong Yami on the floor.

"Well, it's always weird seeing you two in separate bodies," said Tea.

"I'll end my turn here," said Yugi.

Bakura drew a card. "I play this magic card, which allows me to retrieve any card from my graveyard. I will bring back the card which let me destroy any monster on the field. I choose to destroy Kuriboh, so they can no longer shield your Yami or his friends!" The hundreds of Kuriboh vanished, leaving the foursome exposed. "I will end my turn by placing a card face down on the field," said Bakura.

"You still do not have a monster on the field, Bakura, so you are vulnerable to attacks," shouted Yugi as he drew a card. He saw a second Salamandra card.

"I play Mai, in attack mode!" shouted Yugi and placed his last friend on the field. "Mai, your attack is 2500 and your defence is 2800, so you may be vulnerable to attacks. I'll also equip you with a magic card, which will raise your attack points by 700." Mai also appeared with a sword in hand.

"Joey, attack his life points!" shouted Yugi. Joey paused, getting his balance, still suffering from his wound. He then leapt forward with his sword and struck Bakura's points.

"Activate trap!" shouted Bakura, and Tea screamed. Joey was now in chains and, struggling against them.

"Joey!" shouted Yugi and Mai.

"You didn't pay enough attention to my last move," said Bakura. "I placed a card face down, and you've now activated it. It prevents one of your monsters from attacking and makes it act like a ransom. None of your monsters can attack while this monster is disabled or it will be sent to the graveyard."

Yugi was looking furious with himself. He had not paid attention to Bakura's last move, and now his Yami and his friends were going to pay.

"Joey," shouted Mai, running forwards, planning on helping him out.

"Stop it, girl," spat Bakura. "You will be next." Mai kept on going and reached Joey.

"Leave him," said Bakura menacingly.

"What are you going to do about it?" said Mai. "I'm not attacking you, so you can't do anything about it." Bakura scowled.

"She's right," said Yami.

Mai started pulling at the chains.

"Mai..." said Joey, dazed and not exactly knowing what was going on.

"Hey, Joey," said Mai softly.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you guys are the only friends I've ever had," said Mai. As she talked, she was gradually freeing Joey.

"But Mai, you're risking your life... for me?" Joey said.

"Yeah, I guess I am," replied Mai, with a small smile. As she said this, the last chain was off Joey. Mai helped him to his feet and Mai acted like a crutch to Joey, helping him limp back across to Yugi's half of the playing field. Joey's leg seemed to have been crushed by the chains, and his face was still bleeding heavily.

Yami, Tea and Tristan ran over to relieve Mai of her pressure. She moved to the side, while the others rushed in to help Joey. But Joey shook them off. He then limped over to Mai.

"Thank you, Mai," he said, in a completely sincere voice.

"Don't think on it, kiddo," said Mai.

"We are in a duel," said Bakura, breaking up the reunion. Yugi glanced at Joey, who nodded.

Bakura drew a card. "I play Gaia the Fierce Knight, in attack mode, and this card face down," he announced, and the horseman appeared on the field. He had an attack power of 3600, which was strong enough to destroy any of Yugi's monsters.

"Gaia the Fierce Knight, attack Mai Valentine!" he shouted, and the knight began to gallop forwards to attack Mai. Joey watched this in horror. The knight struck a target. Once the smoke cleared from the attack, they saw...

"Mai?" said Yugi. "How can you still be here?"

Mai was crying. "Joey..." she sobbed. "Joey took the blast for me..."

Yugi, Yami, Tea and Tristan were shocked. Joey had never done anything this unselfish in all the time that they knew him. He had sacrificed his own life, in order to save Mai's, knowing that Yugi had no more cards to save him.

Mai was in hysterics, Yugi and Tea were crying. Tristan tried to comfort them, but he himself needed all the comfort he could get, having just lost his friend. Tristan helped Tea and Mai to their feet.

They still had a battle to fight...

Joey wandered the graveyard alone once more, although more cautious this time. He knew that this was to be his new home, unless Yugi could pull some amazing stunt out of his deck that could save his life.

He looked around, ever aware that he could easily be attacked again. But he was unaware that the reaper of cards could make himself invisible. Joey felt the cold breath of the reaper on his neck, and swung around just as the scythe caught his leg, causing it to break...

Yugi drew a card. "I play the Swords of Revealing Light!" he shouted. "That means you cannot do anything but draw for the next three turns."

"That may buy a little more time for your remaining friends, but nothing can save Wheeler now," grinned Bakura.

"Leave him alone," shouted Mai. "You've just banished him to death, why taunt him more?"

Bakura scowled but drew his next card.

"My turn," said Yugi, and he drew a card. Copycat! "I play copycat. It lets me copy any of your cards that you have already used. I choose to copy this card, which lets me retrieve any magic or trap card from my deck. I choose to recover Monster Reborn!" shouted Yugi, and slammed the card down on the field.

Joey reappeared, unconscious, but still alive. They all rushed to him, Mai in the lead.

"Joey!" she cried as she rushed to his side.

"He's badly hurt," said Yami.

"This is all my fault," sobbed Mai.

"No it's not," said Tea. "You could have done nothing to prevent it. It was Joey's choice to protect you. You couldn't have done anything to stop him. And he owed you a favour since you saved his life."

Mai swallowed the things that she wished to say, and simply nodded, tears still streaming down her face. "Oh, Joey, why did you do that for me?" she thought, looking into his face, which was screwed up in pain. At that moment, Joey's eyes opened. He looked into Mai's and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled slightly.

"Hey, Yami, Tea, Tristan, Joey's awake!" she shouted over her shoulder. They rushed over to Joey.

"Are you OK, Joey?" asked Yami.

"I... I'm not sure," he said. Yami took his hand and pulled him up, but as Joey put weight on his right leg, he collapsed with a cry of pain.

"Joey!" cried Tea and Yami, and caught him under the arms.

"Ouch," said Joey. "I think it's broken."

"Joey, you're bleeding," said Mai, gesturing to his shirt, which was now stained with blood.

"It's nothing," said Joey quickly, trying to cover it up with his jacket.

"Oh my god," said Mai, lifting up Joey's shirt a little, revealing a huge, deep, badly bleeding gash in his chest.

"Joey, you need to see a doctor about that," exclaimed Tea.

"No, Tea, Yuge's duelled too long for us just to surrender," said Joey.

"C'mon Yugi, you can still win this," said Yami. Yugi nodded.

Bakura drew a card. "Your turn, little Yugi," he said irritably. Yugi drew a card.

"Graverobber!" he thought. "I think I might have a strategy with which can win the match!"

"I play the Graverobber card!" shouted Yugi, and laid the card down on the field. "I can take any monster from the graveyard with this. I think I'll bring back the Dark Magician!" The Dark Magician appeared on the field.

"Too bad, little Yugi, my Fierce Knight is stronger than your Dark Magician," sneered Bakura.

"Now it is, but if I can play my cards right next turn, I will be able to win this," replied Yugi confidently. Bakura drew a card.

"Next turn, little Yugi, you and your friends will be all but destroyed," he threatened. Yugi drew a card.

"I play Polymerisation!" shouted Yugi. "Mai, I'm fusing you with my Dark Magician, to become Mai, the Magicianess!" Mai was suddenly in the Dark Magician's clothing.

"This is so unfashionable," said Mai.

"Mai! Your attack points are 4000! There are very few monsters in any deck that could defeat that," shouted Yami. "Nice move, Yugi!"

Mai looked at her sword, which was now not flaming, but glowing slightly.

"Mai, I need you to attack his Fierce Knight." said Yugi. "But be careful, he could have anything planned." Mai nodded and ran forward to strike the Knight.

"Activate trap!" shouted Bakura. Suddenly, Mai was wrapped in a chain.

"Kunai Whip Chain," smiled Bakura. "It cuts your monsters attack points by 500, therefore making my Fierce Knight stronger than the Magicianess. And, as your swords of revealing light's effect ends this turn, I am free to attack her. Before I attack, however I will play a card face down."

Tea gasped in surprise and fear. Yugi looked furious with himself again. This was the second time this duel that he had let one of his friends fall into a trap. He had let his attention slip twice. He needed to concentrate harder if he were to get Tea, Tristan, Yami, Joey and Mai out of this.

Mai was struggling against the chain that bound her. Joey tried to rush forward to help, but his leg collapsed and he fell to the ground.

"Gaia the Fierce Knight, attack Mai the Magicianess!" shouted Bakura, and the horse began its gallop towards its prey.

"No, Mai!" shouted the other four as she was struck by the knights lance. But as the dust cleared once more, they saw that, not Mai, but the knight had disappeared. Joey lay on the ground near Mai and Mai was dripping blood from her arm, where the knight seemed to have inflicted a deep knife wound.

"What happened?" shouted Yami, running over to the two wounded.

"Joey came up behind the knight and struck him with his sword just as I thrust my sword at him in defence. He still managed to hit me, but he ended up being the one in the graveyard, as the full blast of his attack never came," replied Mai.

"But how did Joey get over here?" asked Tea. "I thought his leg was broken."

"That we'll have to ask him when he comes around. I think he got knocked out by the force of the monster being sent to the graveyard," said Mai

"Wha?" said a voice behind them. They turned around and saw Joey trying to sit up. They rushed over to him, Mai in the lead.

"Are you OK, Joey?" asked Mai.

"Yeah, I'm no more damaged dan I was before de knight was destroyed." he replied quietly.

"How did you manage to get over to help me when the knight was attacking me?" she asked. "I thought your leg was broken."

"It is," said Joey, wincing in pain as he tried to stand up. "I don't really know what got me over dere. I kinda just saw you in danger and ran to help her. Just forgot about the pain, I guess."

Yami started walking over to Yugi, and beckoned Tea and Tristan to do the same. "I think they want some time alone," whispered Yami.

"Thanks, Joey," said Mai quietly, when the other three had returned to help Yugi in the duel. Then Mai helped Joey up, and helped him limp slowly over to Yugi's half of the duelling field. Then they both sat down, exhausted, against the wall of the duelling arena.

"Bakura, you have crippled two of my friends," shouted Yugi.

"And yet I still haven't managed to kill them," said Bakura in frustration.

"The friendship between me and my friends is a stronger weapon than any of your monsters will ever have." said Yugi, and he drew a card. "I'll place one card face down. And now, I'll switch Yami to attack mode. Yami, you need to attack his life points."

Yami thought for a moment, but ran forward to attack his life points.

"Activate trap!" shouted Bakura. Yami disappeared.

"No!" shouted Yugi. He had forgotten about Bakura's face down card in the mayhem in which Joey had been sent to the graveyard for the second time.

"It destroys the monster, and minimizes the damage to 200 life points," said Bakura.

"Yami!" shouted Tea, running to the spot where he had been standing. She started to cry. Yugi drew a card with trembling hands. It was Mind Control.

"I'll end my turn here," he said. Bakura drew a card.

"I play Panther Warrior in defence mode," said Bakura. Yugi drew a card.

"I play Mind Control. I can control your monster for one turn. And now I play this card, which lets me sacrifice your monsters to revive one of my monsters," said Yugi. "I choose to revive my Yami!" Yami reappeared. Tea immediately ran to him.

"Yami! Yami, are you OK?" she asked, drawing him into a hug. He was barely conscious. He had a cut on his forehead which was dripping blood down his face. His arm also seemed unable to move, like it was broken.

"I don't know," he said weakly. She helped him into a sitting position.

"Oh, Yami. You're going to be fine. Just come over here and rest," said Tea, getting him onto his feet and walking him over to Joey and Mai. "Wait, maybe over here," she said suddenly, leading him over to a corner. "I think those two might want some time alone."

"Yeah," chuckled Yami softly. She sat him down. He was exhausted, and as soon as he had sat down, he fell asleep. Tea sat down next to him, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and then kissed him on the cheek. She put her arms around his shoulders, and his head dropped softly onto her shoulder.

"I switch Tristan to attack mode. Tristan, attack his life points!" shouted Yugi.

Tristan nodded and delivered a blow to Bakura's life points. They shot down to 300. Bakura scowled and drew a card.

"I play Ryou, in defence mode," said Bakura, sighing. Ryou appeared on the field, looking confused and tired.

"Ryou?" said Yugi. "Your Yami managed to take over?" Ryou nodded.

"Well, he's forced us into a duel in de Shadow Realm," said Joey quietly. Ryou's eyes widened as he realized that he was in a duel.

"What? How did I get in here? I thought only monsters could go on the duelling arena." he said quickly.

"Your Yami made monster cards of us, and obviously of you too," replied Yugi.

"Yami, how can you do this?" demanded Ryou. "You've been evil before now, but now my friends' lives are on the line."

"Shut up, you," spat Bakura.

"Let's continue this duel," shouted Yugi. "I agree," shouted Bakura.

Yugi drew a card. "I play Hinotama!" shouted Yugi. "This card can attack your life points directly, for 500 points of damage."

"No!" shouted Bakura in shock.

"This is the end, Bakura," said Yugi. Then balls of fire burst from the centre of the field and Bakura's life points were reduced to 0.

"Yes!" shouted the five on the field.

Then Yami vanished from the playfield, and Tea immediately stood up. Bakura also disappeared. In his place stood Ryou, their friend from school.

* * *

**Lu:** Whoo-ho! Finished! And things wrong: life points, monster's attack and defence points, the amount of monsters on the field, Bakura's monsters (Gaia the Fierce Knight and Panther Warrior are not his). If you see anymore, can you point them out to me?

**Yami Lu:** Oh, that's just peachy, isn't it? How come you have to degrade my best friend by making him lose?

**Lu:** 'Cause your best friend is evil! Review!


	15. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Hello all! Did you like the duel? I know it was crappy.

**Yami Lu:** Yup.

**Lu:** But, here's a chapter for JoeyxMai fans!

* * *

**Chapter 15 – Holding Hands**

Then the darkness around them vanished, replaced with bright sunlight and trees. Ryou, Yugi, Tea and Tristan rushed to Joey and Mai, who were both sitting quietly, leaning against a tree.

"Are you OK?" asked Ryou.

"Kinda," replied Mai. "I'm fine, but Joey isn't great. He's got a huge gash in his chest, a broken leg and a cut on his face."

"There's no hospital for miles around," said Tristan, quickly scanning Yugi's map.

"I'll be fine," said Joey. "I just gotta get some rest, you know, get my strength back."

A couple of days later, Joey was well rested. Ryou had made him some crutches from the trees around, and a splint. Joey had sacrificed his only clean shirt for bandages for him and Mai. Joey's chest had healed, with only a scar, but his face was still open, and Mai was getting worried. Most wounds like that should have healed over by now, but Joey's wound was still bleeding.

"The tournament's in a city, we can get it checked there," she said to him one night. They were sitting apart from the rest of the group, who were eating some sausages over a campfire.

Ryou, Yugi, Tea and Tristan had left Mai and Joey on their own a lot lately. Mai always said that she was helping Joey around when they started asking what they did all day. But Joey seemed to walk fine with Ryou's crutches when they saw him. Joey was acting strangely too, very quiet compared to his usual loud and outgoing self.

The day before they left for the city again, Tristan decided to find out what they were up to.

"But, really, it's not our business," argued Yugi. "What they do with their time is up to them, not us."

"But, Yugi, what if they're doing something illegal," said Tristan.

"Tristan, that's their choice. And anyway, we know you just want to find out what Joey's doing," said Ryou.

"But, come on, if they are doing something illegal..." began Tristan.

"Tristan, do you honestly think that Joey or Mai would do something illegal?" asked Tea.

"Well, no, but..." replied Tristan.

"No buts. We leave them alone," said Yugi.

But Tristan decided to go and see what they were doing on his own. It took him a long time to find them. When he did find them, it was by a small river a long way out into the trees.

His eyes widened when he saw what they were doing: they were holding hands and laughing.

"But... but... Joey... Mai?" he thought. "Him... her... them?"

Joey was playing with Mai's hair, and she was blushing and laughing. Tristan watched them for a while more, and it became more and more obvious that they really liked each other.

Tristan soon retreated back to their camp, as he might be discovered by Mai or Joey on their way back to camp.

"Yugi, Tea, Ryou, you won't believe what I just saw!" he shouted as he got back to the campsite.

"What is it Tristan?" asked Yugi.

"Joey and Mai..." Tristan began.

"Tristan! We agreed we wouldn't spy on them," said Ryou.

"But... they were holding hands and, and, I saw Mai kiss Joey!" Tristan insisted. There was a stunned silence. "On the cheek. Joey seemed really taken aback."

"Tristan, it really is none of our business if they like each other. You really shouldn't have spied on them," said Yugi seriously.

"What did Mai say?" asked Tea eagerly.

"Tea!" exclaimed Ryou and Yugi.

"I'm sorry, now I really want to know," said Tea apologetically.

"Well, she was talking about duelling for a while, and then Joey started playing with Mai's hair, and then they started talking about other things, like love. Then Mai kissed Joey on the cheek and then Joey blushed, and then I had to sneak off, because they would have caught me," finished Tristan.

There was another shocked silence. "Why did you spy on them?" asked Yugi.

"Because I wanted to know what my friends were doing," said Tristan guiltily.

"But still, Tristan, you really should have left them alone," said Ryou.

"Shut up!" hissed Yugi, as the sound of laughter came from the trees.

Joey and Mai emerged from the woods, hand in hand, laughing. But then they spotted the four people staring at them, and their hands quickly let go.

"Umm..." said Joey.

"Joey, lets go," said Mai quickly, and they darted off into Mai's tent.

"That was close," said Mai.

"Too close," said Joey. Mai's hand found its way into Joey's once more.

"Why are we hiding it from dem?" asked Joey.

"I don't know," sighed Mai. "I don't know what they'll think. And anyway, how are we meant to tell them?"

"I suppose," said Joey. "I just hate keeping secrets from my friends. Yuge's my best friend, I'm sure he'll understand."

"It's not him I'm worried about," said Mai. "Tristan and Tea, however..." She trailed off. She placed her head on his shoulder.

Yugi poked his head into the tent, and Mai quickly rolled over onto the sleeping bag.

"Hey guys, I've got something to tell you," said Yugi. "Well, not me personally, but Tristan here will tell you." Tristan walked forward guiltily.

"Tell them, Tristan," said Ryou, lurking in the shadows behind Tristan.

"Is everyone here?" groaned Mai.

"Yes," said Tea.

"Go on, Tristan," said Yugi threateningly.

"I want to apologise," said Tristan.

"Why?" asked Joey, suspiciously.

"Because I…" began Tristan, but faltered.

"Yes?" prompted Mai.

"Because I saw you kiss Joey," he said quickly.

"What?" shouted Mai.

"He saw you kiss Joey," said Yugi.

"Then he came back and told us," continued Ryou.

"Tristan!" exclaimed Joey. "What did you do dat for? I thought we were friends."

"Yeah, Tristan, why did you spy on us? It wasn't any of your business what we were doing!" shouted Mai, blowing her head off at Tristan.

"So you all know?" asked Joey. They nodded.

"Well, at least we can thank Tristan for one thing," he sighed. Mai looked at him.

"What's that?" she asked, still fuming.

"At least we don't have to find a way to tell them."

"I suppose," she said, and stormed off into her tent. Joey threw a dirty look at Tristan, limped after Mai.

"Way to go, Tristan," said Ryou sarcastically.

Joey followed Mai into her tent, where she lay on her sleeping bag, fuming.

"Mai..." Joey began.

"How can he do that to us?" she shouted.

"I know," said Joey. "But it's too late now. He can't undo what he did." Mai sat up. Then she stood up and approached Joey. She kissed him again, but this time, it was on the lips. Joey's eyes widened. Then Mai broke away.

"I love you, Joey," she said.

"Uh, I love you too, Mai," said Joey slowly.

* * *

**Lu:** 1, 2, 3... AWW! Joey and Mai got together!

**Yami Lu:** Oh sweet Ra, I'm stuck here with the JoeyxMai fan. Help!

**Lu:** prances around room JOEY AND MAI! JOEY AND MAI! REVIEW!


	16. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Hello! Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is so cool! Sorry, this is a fanfic, huh?

**Yami Lu:** It's been fifteen chapters, you should have figured it out by now.

**Lu:** I hope I get 100 reviews soon. That would be so cool! I'm on, what, 79 now?

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 16 – I'm Coming!**

Back outside, Yugi and Ryou were having a conversation in whispered voices.

"What are we going to do?" asked Yugi. "We have to head off soon if we want to get into the city in time for the tournament, but we can't really go while Joey and Mai are angry at Tristan."

"I don't know," sighed Ryou. "Maybe we can talk to Joey or Mai..."

"Once Mai's in a mood, she doesn't snap out of it very quickly. Joey might listen..." said Yugi doubtfully.

"But he's changed so much since he started liking Mai. It's been more and more obvious each time we have gone to a tournament. In the first tournament, they were always fighting. In the second tournament, Joey would have died for Mai if you hadn't stepped in. And now, they've been caught kissing. He's been changing subtly ever since he met Mai. Who knows how he'll react?" asked Ryou.

"Well, we're never going to get out of here if we don't try," said Yugi, getting up. Ryou got up and followed Yugi over to Mai's tent.

"Mai! Joey! Can Ryou and I talk to you for a second?" There was some scrambling noises from inside the tent, and then Mai's voice said "Sure, come in!" Yugi and Ryou entered and found Joey standing up looking stunned and Mai sitting down crossed legged on her sleeping bag.

"OK, Joey, Mai, we need to talk to you," said Ryou. "We've stopped here for a while so Joey's leg can heal, but now it's getting better, and we think we better move off, if we want to get to the tournament on time."

"That's right," said Yugi. "But we can't really start off while you two won't talk to Tristan. So can you try and make it up with Tristan?"

"Yeah, I suppose," said Joey with a sigh. "I hope he understands what he did was wrong."

"I think he does," said Ryou. "He sounded like he meant it. He didn't want to tell you guys, but we wouldn't let him know that you two... well, you know... without you two knowing."

"Well, it isn't as big a problem as we thought it would be," said Joey. "We were only going to tell you two, because we knew that you two would be cool with it. But Tristan and Tea we weren't so sure about. We weren't going to tell them until later."

"Well, we're glad that you trust us Joey, but it would have been hard to conceal it from those two. As soon as Tristan saw you two, he came back and told us," said Yugi. "Ryou and I told him to leave you two alone, but Tea wanted to know more."

"I expected as much," said Mai. It was the first time she had spoken since Yugi and Ryou had come into the tent. She still seemed to be pouting.

"Mai, please, just forgive them," pleaded Ryou.

"C'mon Mai," urged Joey. "For me?"

She glanced up at Joey. "Fine," she said after a couple of seconds of looking at him.

"You really mean dat?" asked Joey.

"I suppose," she sighed, and got up with Joey's help.

"I'm glad that's settled," said Ryou to Yugi outside the tent.

"We'll get going tomorrow. Let's go tell the others," said Yugi, and ran off to find Tristan and Tea.

The next day, all six of them were packed and ready to set off. There was silence among the group as they began the journey to the city. Joey and Yugi had spent the whole of last night discussing duelling combos, with small inputs from Mai. She was still angry with Tristan, and wouldn't talk to him, so she tended to keep very quiet, only talking to Joey, and seldom talking at all. The other five tried starting conversations which included her, but they rarely lasted more than three minutes, as Mai was determined to make everyone else as miserable as she was.

When they set up camp the next night, she skulked in her tent all night, not even talking to Joey. He spent the whole night talking about who they thought they would see at the tournament.

"OK, Mako Tsunami will probably be dere," said Joey.

"Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood, definitely," said Yugi.

"Espa Roba?" said Joey.

"Probably not," said Yugi seriously. "He cheated in the last tournament, Kaiba wouldn't let him in this one."

"Ishizu Ishtar? Even Marik?" said Joey, hopefully. He still wanted revenge on Malik Ishtar for what he did to Mai.

"Doubt it," said Yugi. "Kaiba hated Marik. He didn't like Ishizu much either. He hated all of her talk about destiny."

"Who else?" asked Joey. "Dere's gotta be someone else we know!"

"Duke Devlin?" said Yugi.

"Ooh, yeah!" said Joey, eagerly. He loved beating Duke Devlin. They were good friends and fierce rivals ever since Joey lost a match to him and had to get dressed up in a puppy dog suit to fulfil a bet he made with Duke. They were unable to think of anyone else that might be in the new tournament, so they packed up for the night and went to sleep.

In the morning, Mai had calmed down a bit and started talking to everyone, except Tristan. Tristan tried talking to her, but she just ignored him and talked to Joey. Joey was becoming a lot louder than he had been in the last couple of days. Yugi was glad to see this because he was worried that he was going to lose his best friend. But Joey still spent a lot of his time with Mai. They both walked at the back of the group. This may have been because of his leg or face, which was still open and bleeding, but Yugi was sure it was because Mai wanted to talk to Joey.

She still seemed to love him a lot, judging from all the laughing that came from the back of the group. Joey seemed to like her a lot too, but didn't seem to want to get too serious yet. Tristan and Tea did glimpse Mai kissing him from time to time, but it was never more than a peck on the cheek, and Joey seemed to freak out every time she did it. But Ryou and Yugi kept Tristan and Tea away from the couple, so they could have a little private time.

But Yugi was getting lonely. He didn't really like Tea or Mai more than friends, although he knew his Yami liked Tea a bit. Tristan was a good friend, but he didn't have the trust that Joey had in him. And Ryou, although he was nice and was probably most like Yugi, wasn't really the kind of best friend Yugi was looking for.

"Mai," said Joey one night. Her head was resting on his shoulder and they were looking at the stars.

"Yeah," she said dreamily.

"I reckon we gotta spend more time with de rest of de group," said Joey quickly.

Mai sighed and said "I know. Yugi is looking so lost lately. He really needs you there to support him."

"I'm glad you understand, Mai," said Joey, looking relieved. "I promise we'll still spend de nights together, but we probably should pay more attention to everyone else during de day." Mai took her head off his shoulder and turned to him. He looked at her. She kissed him on the lips again. Tristan happened to walk around the corner at that moment. He saw Mai kiss Joey. Joey once again froze over.

"He really doesn't know how to kiss," thought Tristan. Mai broke away again, looking slightly disappointed, but nevertheless pleased.

"I'm sorry, Mai," said Joey guiltily. "I just get really nervous when you kiss me, ever since Tristan came and saw you kiss me." Tristan blushed, although no one saw.

"It's OK, Joey, I get nervous too," she said quietly. She stood up. "Well, it's getting late, we better go to bed."

She helped Joey to his feet, and then retreated to her tent. Joey went and set up his bed outside.

The next morning, as Joey, Yugi, Tristan, Tea and Ryou were having breakfast, Tea alerted them to an astonishing fact.

"Hey, Joey, where's Mai?" she asked him, while reaching out for a piece of bread for her sandwich.

"I dunno," said Joey, his mouth half full of an apple. "Last time I saw her was last night when she was going to bed."

"Come to think of it, has anyone seen Mai this morning?" asked Ryou. Everyone murmured "No".

"Where is she?" said Joey in a concerned voice. "Mai?" he shouted, when nobody could think of an answer. He looked around the campsite with the others.

"Maybe she's still asleep," he thought, and moved towards the tent. When he poked his head inside, he saw, not Mai, but a note.

"Hey, guys, come over here!" he shouted over his shoulder, and ducked inside the tent to pick up the note. He read it with wide eyes. "Oh no!" he shouted. Yugi, Ryou, Tristan and Tea ran up behind him.

"What is it?" asked Yugi. Joey held up the note with trembling fingers.

It read: "I may have failed at the Battle City Tournament, Pharaoh, but I can try again. If you want to see the girl alive again, meet me at the top of the last mountain before the city of Seto Kaiba's tournament." It was signed on the bottom by Malik Ishtar.

"He's back," growled Joey, while the others stood there with their mouths open slightly. There was a sudden flash of light, and Yami Yugi emerged from the Millennium Puzzle. Joey had a determined face on, although tears were dripping down it and mingling with the blood still seeping from the open wound on his face.

"We've gotta go get her," he said in a determined voice.

"Joey, we can't just rush into this," said Yami in a soothing voice.

"No, Yami, dis time he's gone too far," Joey growled. Yami did not reply to that. Joey was soon ready to go. He was ready to ditch the crutches, his leg was just about better.

Yami, Ryou, Tea and Tristan decided that it was foolish for all of them to go, as they might get into danger. Yami and Ryou were to accompany Joey for the rescue mission, while Tristan and Tea would stay with them until they began the ascent of the mountain.

"Malik, you better leave Mai alone," Joey thought with his teeth gritted.

Meanwhile, at the top of the mountain, Mai was struggling against the chains binding her to a great stone tablet.

"Malik, let me out of here," she shouted.

"Shut up, girl," he snarled. He was tightening her binds.

"Malik, Joey and..." she started.

"Oh, yes, Joey," he smirked. "Your boyfriend."

"Go away," she said quietly. He grinned.

"Joey, Yami, Ryou, Tea and Tristan are going to come up here, and then you've got a problem on your hands," she shouted.

"Shut up!" he shouted, and pressed a button. Mai immediately screamed.

"Now will you be quiet," he snarled. Mai shut her mouth and nodded limply...

"Mai!" shouted Joey, waking up from a nightmare.

"What is it, Joey?" asked Yugi sleepily.

"Mai's in trouble!" Joey shouted.

"We know that, brainiac," said Tea.

"No, she's hurt, we gotta get to her!" he said, standing up.

"Joey, calm down," said Yugi, alarmed.

"No, Yuge, she's in real trouble!" shouted Joey.

"Joey, please, calm down!" said Yugi.

"Yuge, you don't understand, I just saw Malik torturing Mai!" Joey shouted. Yugi's eyes widened. The Puzzle flashed again, and Yami appeared in Yugi's place.

"Let's go," he said, standing up next to Joey. Joey and Yami each picked up their packs, and walked over to Ryou to wake him up.

"Wa?" said Ryou sleepily.

"Ryou, we've gotta go now! Mai is in more danger than we realised!" shouted Joey. With a bit of encouragement and abuse from Joey, Ryou got clumsily to his feet and picked up his pack.

"Let's go," said Joey in a determined voice, and began striding in the direction of the mountain.

"Goodbye, Tea and Tristan," said Yami, before turning and following Ryou and Joey. After many hours of walking, and in some cases running, they reached the foot of the mountain.

"Don't worry, Mai, I'm coming for ya," thought Joey...

**

* * *

****Lu:** Poor Joey and Mai! I'm sorry it's a bit late today, I was watching Queer Eye last night so I had to update at school in the morning. 

**Yami Lu:** Do you ever work in the mornings?

**Lu:** Yes! OK, not that often. Mornings are known as my fanfiction time. Does anyone know the name of the fic where the Yu-Gi-Oh! cast watched the dubbed version of the show? 'Cause I had to stop reading it halfway through, and I want to finish it. Review!


	17. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Hello! No one reviewed :( Probably 'cause I update halfway through the night for Americans. Anyway, this is easier for me. Here we go!

**Yami Lu:** Oh sweet Ra!

* * *

**Chapter 17 – Danger!**

Malik watched them begin their ascent of the mountain. He grinned.

"Soon, Pharaoh, you will be the one who needs rescuing!" he said.

"What are you going to do to them?" shouted Mai from behind.

"Maybe another dose of pain will make you be quiet," he snarled, and pressed the button again. Mai screamed.

At the bottom of the mountain, Joey, Yami and Ryou felt a wrench of pain in their hearts, although none felt it as much as Joey.

"Mai!" he shouted, and began running up the slope.

"Joey, I felt it too, but we mustn't rush into this," said Yami, grabbing onto Joey's jacket. Joey slowed down.

"But, Yami, she's really hurt," he said, and Yami was startled to see a small drip of water run down his face and splash onto the ground.

"Joey, trust me, we will get her out of this alive," said Yami softly. Another tear ran down Joey's face, and mixed with the blood on his cheek.

"Joey, I had no idea you felt this strongly about her," said Ryou. "It's like every minute apart is killing you slowly." Joey swallowed, and nodded. "When did you start feeling this way about her?" Ryou asked.

"When she gave me the card that made me eligible for the Duellist Kingdom finals," he said, and choked. He sat on the ground and buried his face in his hands.

"Joey, come on, we will save her," said Yami soothingly. Joey looked up, his hands wet with blood and tears.

"Come on, buddy, we can still save Mai if we hurry," said Yami, and he and Ryou both reached out their hands to help him up. Joey took their hands and they pulled him to his feet.

"Thanks, guys," said Joey. "I dunno where I'd be without you." They then began the steep climb of the mountain.

After one days travel, Yami called a halt.

"We need to preserve our energy if we need to beat Malik," said Yami. So they set up camp.

Meanwhile, Malik watched them with evil eyes.

"That's right, Pharaoh, you will need all the strength you can get if you wish to face me."

The next morning, Joey was the first one up, and was quick to wake the others up.

"We gotta get movin'," he said. After he aroused Yami and Ryou, they started the trek. It was not going to take much longer to get to the top at the speed Joey was going at. Yami and Ryou were barely keeping up.

They reached the summit of the mountain within one and a half hours. Joey looked at the small shack that was built on it.

"Well, I guess dis is it, guys," said Joey. "You can stay here if you wanna." He strode forwards to the house without a backwards glance. Yami followed him without hesitation, and Ryou was not far behind. Joey approached the door, and kicked it down.

Once the dust had cleared, Joey saw Mai, hanging limply from the tablet, apparently unconscious. He rushed forward, but was stopped by a dark figure.

"Malik, leave Mai alone!" shouted Joey.

"It's alright, Wheeler, your girlfriend is not damaged... yet," said an evil voice. It gave a short manic laugh.

"Malik, leave them all alone," said Yami from behind Joey.

"Ah, Pharaoh, you showed up," he smirked. "Very foolish of you."

With Malik distracted, Joey made a dash for Mai. He reached her, and started pulling at her binds.

"That's it, Wheeler, you've interfered with my plans enough," shouted Malik, and lifted his Millennium Rod. But instead of approaching Joey, he walked towards Mai.

"Now, instead of hurting you, I will attack the heart." Malik lifted the Rod, and Mai screamed. Joey stepped in between Malik and Mai.

"Stop it, Malik!" Yami shouted, as Joey fell to his knees, alive and conscious, but other than that not good at all. Malik called off the attack, and turned to Yami grinning.

"What are you going to do about it, Pharaoh," Malik said. "There is nothing you can do about it, unless you want to come over here." Yami stepped forward.

"No, Pharaoh, one more step and they both get sent to the Shadow Realm."

"No!" cried Mai, apparently woken up by Malik's attack.

"Mai!" said Joey weakly.

"Joey, don't let him trap my mind in the Shadow Realm," she sobbed.

"Mai, calm down, I won't let him take you again," said Joey softly. He grabbed onto Mai's jacket, and got up, shielding Mai from Malik.

"Promise you'll be with me until the end," she said quietly.

"Not until de end... always," whispered Joey.

"This is the Battle City tournament all over again," said Malik. "Mai, chained to a stone tablet. Joey, protecting Mai from my attack. King Yami, ready to step in at any moment if his friends are to be killed. And me, the person with the power, ready to strike when I feel like it." Yami scowled but realised that Malik was right - this was too much like the duel between Mai and Malik at the Battle City Tournament.

"Malik, stop this madness!" Yami said in a threatening voice.

"Only if you give me the Millennium Puzzle. Hand it to me, and I release Joey and Mai unscathed, keep it and both of their minds get trapped in the Shadow Realm," said Malik in a manic voice. Yugi's eyes widened in shock and despair. Either way, he was going to lose his friends. On one side, there was Joey, his best friend for a long time, and Mai, his good friend and rival. On the other side, was his second personality, his friend, and duelling partner. He didn't know who to choose.

"Hurry up, Pharaoh, time is running out," sneered Malik. Joey and Mai were looking at him helplessly. They knew very little could make Yugi give up his Millennium Puzzle. Yami stood there with his mouth slightly open. Then, he removed the Millennium Puzzle from his neck, and Yami Yugi was replaced with Yugi. He had a tear trickling down his cheek. He held out the Puzzle to Malik, and he looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry, Yami," he whispered. Malik took the Puzzle, and placed it around his neck. But nothing happened.

"What's happening?" he asked furiously. The Puzzle had fallen into the many pieces that it had once been in when Yugi had first seen it.

"I think you have to reassemble it," said Yugi sadly.

"OK, now I'm really angry," Malik growled. He raised his Millennium Rod, and Joey fell to the ground, apparently trapped in the Shadow Realm.

"Joey!" cried Ryou, Yugi and Mai simultaneously.

"Malik, you promised you wouldn't harm them if I gave you the Puzzle!" shouted Yugi.

"Yes, little Yugi, but I wasn't planning on the Puzzle falling apart. Fix it, and I will retrieve Wheeler's mind," said Malik. Yugi moved slowly forward.

"I cannot guarantee that I will fix it, it took me 8 years the first time," said Yugi sadly. He bent down and gathered the pieces around him. He sat cross-legged on the ground, and began reassembling the Puzzle.

After half an hour, Malik was becoming impatient. "Are you nearly done yet?' he said. Yugi held up what he had done so far. He had done a very small part of the tip.

"You're not doing it fast enough!" Malik shouted, and held up his Millennium Rod. Ryou crumpled to the ground. Yugi began to run towards him, but Malik lifted his Rod up. Mai's head rolled onto her shoulder.

"Malik, release them all, or I won't fix the Puzzle. You no longer have any threats," said Yugi, staring hard at the floor. Malik gritted his teeth, but he knew Yugi was right. If he no longer had any more captives, then he couldn't make Yugi fix the Puzzle. He sighed, and lowered the Rod. Joey, Ryou and Mai all jerked, showing that they had regained their souls. Joey and Ryou seemed dazed, but were able to sit up. Mai remained unconscious.

"Now, Yugi, fix the Puzzle!" shouted Malik.

"I am!" shouted Yugi, another tear rolling down his cheek.

"Yuge, you don't have to do dis for us," said Joey.

"Are you OK, Joey?" asked Yugi.

"Well, what can you say, it was de Shadow Realm," said Joey, his expression blank. His eyes, however showed depths of pain at the memory of the Shadow Realm that could not be measured.

"Hurry up!" shouted Malik. Yugi turned back to the Puzzle, and began fitting it back together again. Joey remembered that Yugi had fixed it once in 5 minutes, and realised that Yugi was just postponing it until he could think of a plan. He looked around the room. There was not much space, barely enough for three more people to fit in comfortably. There was a small, high window in one corner, a small tight door in the centre of the front wall and a small nest-like bed in another corner.

Joey put all of them together, and formulated a plan. Not a very good plan, but it might distract Malik enough so that Yugi could make a break for it. But the problem was telling Yugi his plan without Malik finding it out. He searched his memory for any sign of a way to tell Yugi. But then he realised that he didn't need a secret language to tell Yugi. He simply needed his wits. Joey got to his feet, causing Yugi to look at him to see if he was alright. Joey realised that his arm was broken, possibly from the Shadow Realm or from Malik's attack. But he ignored the pain, and jerked his head towards the door.

"Get ready," he mouthed, and began moving towards the bed. Malik became aware of Joey's movements.

"What are you doing, Wheeler?" he said irritably. Joey glanced at Yugi and gave him a slight nod. Yugi gathered up the pieces of the Puzzle and crept towards to door. Malik was still looking at Joey.

"Err, I was, umm, going to get de, umm, pillow on de bed for, umm, Mai," Joey said in an embarrassed voice.

"Oh, isn't that sweet?" said Malik sarcastically. "Now can we get back to the Puzzle?" He turned around to Yugi, but Yami stood there instead.

"Malik, drop the Rod," said Yami slowly.

"Give me the Puzzle," said Malik.

"Drop the Rod," said Yami again.

"Give me the Puzzle," repeated Malik.

"Look, Malik, drop the Rod and you can have the Puzzle," said Yami. Malik bent down slowly and placed the Rod on the ground.

"Now give me the Puzzle!" shouted Malik. Joey ducked around Malik and grabbed the Rod.

"Come and get it," smiled Yami.

"You promised!" snarled Malik.

"You also promised that you would leave my friends unscathed if I gave you the Puzzle. But you still trapped their minds in the Shadow Realm," said Yami.

"Give me back my Rod!" snapped Malik, turning to Joey. Joey smiled and walked slowly towards the window. But Bakura stepped in the way.

"No, give me the Rod," he said, in his evil voice.

"Bakura," hissed Yami under his breath. He was in a room with three of his friends, one of whom was in chains, another of whom was in trouble and the last one was under the control of an evil spirit; and a mad man who was willing to do anything to claim ultimate power.

"Joey, over here!" shouted Yami. Joey threw the Rod in the air, and Yugi caught it. But Bakura and Malik had started to run for Joey to reclaim the Rod. He was sandwiched between them, and he fell to the ground.

"Ouch," he muttered. His arm was definitely broken now. Malik and Bakura lay on the ground, dazed. Yami stood there with the Millennium Rod in his hand. Malik got up, still slightly off balance, but ready to regain the Rod and the power that came with it.

"Give the Rod to me, or Wheeler dies," growled Malik. He stooped down to Joey, and placed a small dagger to his throat. Joey was powerless to do anything, because his arm was broken. Yami stood there once more, with the loss of a friend at hand. He walked slowly towards with the Rod outstretched. Malik snatched the Rod back from Yami. Joey rubbed his neck with his unbroken hand. Malik had given him a small cut, from which blood was now oozing out of.

"Now, all of you, into that corner, now!" spat Malik. He held the Rod up, and looked like he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Yami raised his hands slightly, and backed into the corner. Joey, unable to get up, crawled behind Yami, like a dog. Bakura stood up, but did not back away.

* * *

**Lu:** There we go! Poor guys.

**Yami Lu:** You really get involved don't you?

**Lu:** Yes. Review!


	18. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Hello again! I've just realised why I thought I had no reviews: because they've stopped sending me the alerts, which is very irritating. Now I have to go on the website every time I want to check for reviews. Sorry this is late, but they suddenly decided that login was not allowed to work grumble

**Yami Lu:** She was swearing in our soul room for 15 minutes.

**Lu:** Shut up! I've got an innocent image to maintain here. Enjoy! Oh, and I am now perfectly aware that a Shadow Game is a duel monsters game in the Shadow Realm. But in this fic, it is comparing the strength of your Millennium items, K? OK, glad I got that off my chest.

* * *

**Chapter 18 – Friends?**

"Malik, I challenge you to a Shadow Game for the ownership of the Millennium items in this room," said Bakura

"I accept your challenge," said Malik with a slight manic grin on his face. Their Millennium items started to emit a golden light, and the beams clashed in the middle of them.

"What's going on, Yami?" asked Joey in a hoarse whisper.

"They're having a Shadow Game," said Yami. "It's easier than bringing the Shadow Realm here, so they compare the power of their items." Their items stopped glowing.

"The power of our items is equal, we must duel!" shouted Bakura. They both took their decks out from their pockets, and drew their first cards.

But at that moment, Tea and Tristan burst in.

"This... must... stop..." panted Tea.

"Try and stop us!" snarled Malik. "I play this card face down."

"No, this must be stopped immediately," said a voice behind Tristan and Tea. Kaiba stepped out from behind them.

"The main competitors in recent competitions are in this room. Yugi, Mai, myself, and... Joey," said Kaiba, although he said the last name with a look of disgust as he saw Joey on the ground. Joey scowled back.

"Hey, my arm's broken, OK?" he said.

"Shut up and be a good dog, Joey, while I talk to your master," said Kaiba in an amused voice. Joey let out snort of disapproval, but kept his mouth shut.

"Yugi, we have to get out of here, the tournament begins in one day. I have to win against you," said Kaiba with a small smirk. Malik cleared his throat.

"If you don't mind, myself and Bakura here are trying to have a Shadow Game," he said.

"I am calling an official halt to this duel," said Kaiba. "Save it for the tournament, Marik," he said as Malik began to protest.

"So you invited Malik to the tournament?" asked Yami.

"Yes, I needed all the best duellists for this tournament, and that meant inviting all of the finalists from previous tournaments. You and Mai have got to the finals in the last two tournaments, so you both had to come. And you, little dog," added Kaiba, as Joey made a sound of protest. "Marik and Ryou both succeeded to get to the finals in my previous tournament, so they were both invited, as was Ishizu Ishtar."

"My sister's coming?" asked Malik in surprise.

"Yes, Marik. Bandit Keith was not invited, as he cheated in the duel against Joey in the Duellist Kingdom tournament. And I am also participating. We are the only ones I really wanted to have, but I threw in a couple of duellists that I have seen around, just to stir up the competition. Mako Tsunami, Rex Raptor, Weevil Underwood, all of those duellists are also competing. Yes, they are second-rate, but I have seen some people here almost lose to them," He stared pointedly at Joey for a second. "And I thought there may be a chance of some new competition."

"Duke Devlin?" asked Joey.

"Ah, yes, the puppy dog man," said Kaiba. Joey let out a small growl.

"Growl all you want, you dog, you can't stop me or you are disqualified. And, yes, Duke Devlin is competing, but he is too wrapped up in his Dungeon Dice Monsters game to pay much attention to this tournament. He is coming in a couple of days late, because he is promoting his game," he finished.

Malik and Bakura were continuing with their duel. Malik had just destroyed one of Bakura's monsters, but he had lost life points in the process thanks to Bakura's trap card.

"Stop the duel!" shouted Kaiba. Bakura and Malik scowled, but they didn't want to be ejected from the competition before it had even started. They both knew that they would have a chance to duel for the Millennium items later. They removed their cards from their Duel Disks and placed them in their pockets.

"Now, can we please get to the city?" asked Kaiba. "I really need to make an announcement when the duellists arrive." Joey got to his feet with the help of Yami, and ran over to Mai.

"Wait a minute, Kaiba, Mai's still stuck here," he said loudly. Kaiba turned and smiled, but his smile turned into a frown when he saw Mai's condition.

"I remember being chained like that," he said in a far off voice. He racked his memory for the occasion.

"In the Virtual Reality game," prompted Yami.

"Ah, yes," said Kaiba. "I remember now. And all of you came and..." Kaiba trailed off. They were starting to sound like friends. "And," he stammered.

"And we came and saved you Kaiba," finished Joey triumphantly. Kaiba sighed.

"I suppose," he said, and walked over to Joey and Mai. He pulled at Mai's chains, but they wouldn't budge.

"Mai," said Joey quietly. She stirred slightly. "Mai, wake up, it's me," said Joey.

"Joey?" said Mai drowsily.

"Dat's right, Mai, you're OK now," he said. She opened her eyes.

"Thank you Joey," she said. He gave her a big hug.

"We're going to get you out of here," he said, and started pulling on her chains.

"Wait a second, Kaiba, if we both pull on dem at once, maybe dey'll come undone," said Joey. Kaiba nodded, and moved onto Joey's chain. They both pulled, Joey with one hand, and it broke. Mai's arm fell. Joey caught it, and held her hand.

"Hang on, Mai, I'm sure dere is a hospital in the city," he said, and looked at Kaiba.

"There is no actual hospital, but there is an experienced medical team," said Kaiba.

"Can dey try something for my face, too?" asked Joey. Kaiba noticed the long wound down the side of Joey's face.

"How long have you had it?" asked Kaiba.

"About a week," said Joey.

"I'm not sure, you will have to ask them. Can we please hurry up?" said Kaiba impatiently.

"Right," said Joey, and moved onto the other hand. With Kaiba's help, he pulled it off. Mai collapsed onto the ground, but was caught by Joey.

"It's OK, Mai," he said as she cried in pain. He put her on the floor. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

He blushed and muttered "Not now, Mai. Kaiba's here." She looked around and saw Kaiba. He was staring at them in disgust.

"I can't believe you have sunken to liking him," he said to Mai. She scowled and blushed.

"Well, at least I like someone," she said furiously.

"Maybe I do. Just because I don't disclose personal information," he said, and trailed off. He glanced at Joey.

"Can we please go now?" said Malik impatiently.

"Huh?" said Ryou, like he was awakening from a deep sleep.

"Ryou?" said Yami. "Are you OK?"

"I think so," said Ryou.

"What is going on?" said Kaiba in a frustrated voice.

"OK, if we have to spell it out for you. Ryou has another personality, like myself and Marik," said Yami.

"I've told you before, Yugi, I don't believe in any of the Pharaoh nonsense," said Kaiba coldly. "And I wasn't asking about that, I was asking about Mai and Joey."

"That's none of your business, Kaiba," said Yami. "Joey and Mai can tell you if they want to." Kaiba looked at the pair on the ground.

"I think the most important thing at the moment is to get Joey and Mai to hospital," said Ryou. Joey had collapsed while Kaiba and Yugi had been talking. He seemed to have used up all his energy rescuing Mai, or trying to hold strong in front of Kaiba. He was unconscious. Mai looked too weak to help him. Ryou and Tristan picked up Mai and Joey, and they went to Kaiba's helicopter. They loaded Mai and Joey into the beds at the back, while the others squashed into the front. Mokuba greeted them.

"Hey, guys!" he said enthusiastically.

"How did you guys know we were here?" asked Yami curiously.

"We went to find them after we felt a stab of pain in our hearts," said Tea. "They owed us a favour, so they came and helped." Malik walked in, and they fell silent. Kaiba followed, closing the door.

"Start the engine, Mokuba," he said.

"Sure thing, Seto," said Mokuba, and the helicopter rose off the ground. The short journey to the city was silent. Malik kept staring daggers at everyone - Kaiba, Yami, Ryou, even Tristan and Tea.

When they landed, Malik was the first to get off, and he walked away without a word. Yugi's Puzzle flashed, and Yugi stood there instead, smiling. Kaiba hung back, wondering how he could help. He wasn't their friend, but he did feel partially responsible for the injury of Mai, because he invited Malik to the tournament. Mokuba fitted right in to their group. Kaiba felt so alone. He looked around, wishing that someone would talk to him. He knew he had never been very nice to their group, but he had just saved them.

"Seto, come over here!" shouted Mokuba. Kaiba looked up. Mokuba, Yugi, Ryou, Tristan and Tea were motioning for him to join them. He put on his most sullen face, and walked over to them.

"What is it?" said Kaiba irritably. He was glad that they had invited him over, but he had an image to maintain.

"We just wanna thank you," said Joey, who seemed to have woken up.

"We wouldn't have got out of there if it wasn't for you," said Yugi.

"Umm..." said Kaiba. He was not used to being praised by anyone but Mokuba, and especially not by these guys.

"What he means is you're welcome," said Mokuba. Joey laughed.

"Dat's exactly what Serenity said de other day," he said.

"Come, Mokuba," said Kaiba. "We must prepare the duelling platforms." He walked off. Mokuba shrugged and sighed, and ran after his brother.

"Well, you try to be nice to a guy," said Joey.

"He probably doesn't know how to react," said Yugi. "He's only used to Mokuba being nice to him, not us, especially since he's so used to us being not very nice."

Kaiba walked silently towards his hotel.

"Seto, why don't you try and be nice to them?" asked Mokuba. "They wanted to include you then. Yugi suggested it, not me." Kaiba remained silent, but he seemed slightly embarrassed.

"Seto, please, they're trying to be nice," said Mokuba.

"OK, I'll try to be nice to them," said Kaiba quickly.

"Thank you, Seto. These guys are my friends," said Mokuba gratefully. Kaiba walked up the steps to his hotel.

"Good night, Mokuba," said Kaiba. Mokuba gave Kaiba a big hug around the waist.

"Good night, Seto," said Mokuba. He ran off to his room. Kaiba looked after Mokuba. He knew that Yugi and company were trying to be nice. But he felt so uncomfortable with them. He supposed that if they were willing to make peace, then he should try to add them to his very limited group of contacts. He had no one to talk to except Mokuba. He walked into his room.

_'Well, if they are willing to be friends, I might as well try,'_ thought Kaiba.

Meanwhile, Joey and Mai were lying in the hospital room, with Yugi, Ryou, Tristan and Tea sitting around them.

"Why won't Kaiba accept that we can't be enemies forever? We have too much in common" said Mai weakly.

"Mai, be quiet, you're just making your wound worse," said Joey.

"You too, Joey," said Ryou. Joey scowled, but was quiet.

"We should try to be nice again tomorrow," said Yugi. "Maybe Mokuba will talk to him."

"But we shouldn't force it," said Tea. "If he doesn't want to be friends, he'll make it obvious."

"In some ways, I hope he doesn't," said Tristan.

"Why?" asked Mai.

"Ssh," said Yugi.

"Because we've spent all this time opposing him, it would feel strange to be his friend," answered Tristan.

"Well, I still think we should try," said Yugi. "He always looks so lonely when Mokuba's with us. That's why I tried to include him today. Because Mokuba is always hanging out with us, Kaiba is always alone."

"Well, I think we should get some sleep," said Tea. They said goodnight to Joey and Mai and moved off to their rooms. Mai gave Joey a kiss goodnight, and they both went to sleep.

The next morning, the medical team had a look at their wounds. Apparently, Joey's face wasn't in the best condition - it wasn't infected, but it wasn't going to close without some help. Mai just needed a little bit of rest. They put Joey's arm with a splint in a sling. The competition was meant to begin that day, but Kaiba, in an attempt to be nice, postponed the opening for three days.

"This way, Duke Devlin will also be able to begin the competition at the right time," said Kaiba to Mokuba. But Mokuba knew that Kaiba was trying to be nice. He went and told Yugi, and he seemed pleased.

"Seto is trying," said Mokuba.

* * *

**Lu:** OK, this chapter was really stuffed up. And yes, they are trying to be friends. So ha. It makes it easier for me to put SetoxSerenity in later on. K? OK. In this story, nothing was really resolved at Battle City, because I didn't know the ending when I wrote it. And Kaiba, Yami and Malik still own the Egyptian God cards. Bakura has the Ring and Eye, Shadi has the Scales and Key, Yugi has the Puzzle and Necklace, and Malik has the Rod. Now that we've got all that cleared up...

**Yami Lu:** clicking of gun Don't say it!

**Lu:** Review! gunshot ducks Haha, you missed me!


	19. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Everyone read my JoeyxMai songfic, My Beautiful Friend! OK, I'm high, I admit it.

**Yami Lu:** Please kill me. I'm stuck with her all day!

* * *

**Chapter 19 – Another Virtual Reality**

Two days later, Mai was fine, and Joey's face was beginning to close. His arm was fine again too. They were both up and walking, so the group decided to try and reach out to Kaiba again.

"Hey Kaiba," said Yugi as they approached him.

"I'm busy, Yugi, please leave me alone," said Kaiba.

"What are you doing?' asked Joey.

"Be a nice little puppy dog and shut up," said Kaiba impatiently. Joey restrained his anger. "I'm programming another virtual game," said Kaiba.

"Are you really sure that's a good idea?" asked Mai. "I'm sure you remember what happened last time."

"Yes, but this time there are no suits to interfere with the programming," said Kaiba.

"Is there anything we could do to help?" asked Joey.

"Well, if you really want to help, you can test it. Not actually going into the game yet, but playing the game just like a GameBoy," said Kaiba gratefully. Joey sat down picked up the controller.

"Howdya play dis one?" asked Joey.

"Well, insert your deck into this slot here, and then turn on the console," said Kaiba. Joey slipped his deck into the slot, and flipped the switch. A default character, which looked a lot like Kaiba, appeared on the screen.

"Do I just start walkin'?" asked Joey. Kaiba nodded, still looking at the screen. Joey pressed the left button, and the figure began to move. Another figure appeared on the screen. It was a monster, with an attack of 1600 and a defence of 1400.

"Is dis like de other game, where you can choose what monster you summon?" asked Joey. Kaiba nodded again.

"Howdya activate it?" asked Joey.

"Just say what monster you want to summon," said Kaiba.

"I summon de Flame Swordsman!" shouted Joey. A very sketchy picture of a Flame Swordsman appeared in front of Joey's character.

"Attack de monster with Flaming Sword of Battle!" shouted Joey. The Flame Swordsman moved forward, and swung his sword. The monster disappeared.

"Well, Kaiba, something can be said about de graphics," said Joey.

"Yeah, they suck," said Tristan sullenly.

"Shut up, Tristan," said Tea. Tristan had been the only one to complain about being nice to Kaiba. He seemed to have built up too many hostile feelings towards him to just throw them aside.

"Dey're like a lot of de computer games at home. I expected something new," said Joey.

"I'm working on that," said Kaiba. "And this is only what you see from the outside. When you go in, everything is real. And this time, all of my programmed safety precautions are perfected. As always, the options are voice activated. The commands are things like 'End Stimulation'." The fact that Kaiba was telling them all of these plans showed that he was reacting to their outreach. Or maybe he was just telling them to show off his 'superior intelligence and computer skills'.

_'I feel so stupid,'_ Kaiba thought, as they all watched Joey play the virtual game. _'Telling these guys my plans. I mean, Tristan just said that the graphics suck. I am trying to be nice. I think Joey and Yugi are too. But Mai and Tea just stand there uncomfortably; Tristan stands there like he'd rather be anywhere else but here and Ryou...'_ At that moment Ryou ran up to them.

"Sorry I'm late, I was just finishing perfecting my deck for tomorrow," he panted. "I hope the spirit of my Millennium Ring doesn't take over, he really wants to finish that duel with Malik, but that could result in one or more of us being trapped in the Shadow Realm." Kaiba groaned inside, but tried to act like he hadn't heard the last comment. They all knew that he disapproved of all this Ancient Egyptian nonsense. The rest of the group greeted Ryou.

"Hello Kaiba," said Ryou cheerfully.

"Hello Ryou," said Kaiba in return.

"I apologize for the actions of my alter ego the other day. He really wants to get all of the Millennium items," said Ryou. Kaiba grunted and nodded. He didn't want to sound rude, but Ryou should have known that he thought that it was all ridiculous. Joey turned back to the game.

"Aw, man!" he sighed, as his life points dropped to zero. "That monster attacked me while I was saying hello to Ryou!" he exclaimed.

"You have to be quick-witted to play this game, Joey," smirked Kaiba. "A talent which you do not possess." Kaiba knew that Joey hated that, but a chance to insult him like that was too good to pass up. Joey scowled.

"Anyone else want a go?" asked Kaiba as Joey stood up. Yugi sat down in the seat and inserted his deck into the slot. He made the character start walking. A monster appeared on screen.

"I summon the Dark Magician!" shouted Yugi. The mini-Dark Magician attacked the monster on the screen. After about half an hour, Yugi had completed the game. He used a combination of monster cards and magic cards to get him past the tougher monsters.

"Well done, Yugi," said Kaiba. Mokuba came running up to them.

"Ishizu Ishtar and Duke Devlin are here!" he shouted happily. The whole group ran off to greet them. Kaiba walked behind.

"Hey Duke!" said Yugi cheerfully.

"Welcome to the tournament," said Kaiba. Duke looked from Yugi to Kaiba. Usually they'd be insulting each other by now. What was going on?

"Hey, Duke," said Joey.

"Hey, Joey," said Duke. They smiled, but the rest of the group knew that they both wanted a duel. They were friends and all, but they both enjoyed duelling each other.

"Hello, Yugi," said a familiar voice. Kaiba turned around. Ishizu was standing there.

"Hey, Ishizu!" said Yugi.

"I thought that all of our problems would be solved in the last tournament, but it seems to not be so. My brother's evil is still stronger than ever. There is still much for you to do, Yugi," said Ishizu. Kaiba snorted. "You too, Kaiba, will have to help save my brother and the world," added Ishizu.

"I sincerely doubt that, Ishizu," said Kaiba in an amused voice.

"You will have to face up to destiny sooner or later, and at that time you will realise your past and your future. Your future is strongly tied in with Yugi and your Blue Eyes," said Ishizu.

"How do you know that, Ishizu?" asked Yugi.

"My Millennium Necklace told me long before I gave it to you," replied Ishizu.

"I can't figure out how to read the future with it. It simply will not work for me," said Yugi in a frustrated voice.

"Tell me about it," said Joey. "Yugi spent half of his time at home trying to figure out how to get de necklace to work. We spent ages at his house just going through our decks while he tried to figure out how to use it. In de end we had to drag him to school." Yugi laughed.

"I remember that," he said through giggles. "We were so late that day."

"Yeah, you got us in detention, Yugi," laughed Tristan. Kaiba stood there uncomfortably. Mokuba, Duke Devlin, Ishizu, Tristan, Tea, Joey and Yugi were laughing.

"Anyway, how do you activate the necklace?" asked Yugi.

"It activates on its own," said Ishizu. "You just have to wear it all the time." Yugi smiled and took the necklace out of his pack.

"Tea, a little help?" said Yugi. Tea did up the necklace.

"How do I look?" asked Yugi.

"You look fine, little buddy," said Joey.

"Here you go, Yugi," said Tea, handing Yugi a mirror.

"It's not too bad, is it?" said Yugi, surveying himself in the mirror. For some reason, everyone looked at Kaiba.

_'Maybe they reckon it's a good idea to get an opinion from a rival,'_ he thought.

"Err, you look, umm, OK, I guess," he said.

"Well, dat's praise enough from Kaiba," said Joey.

"Man, I'm starving," said Duke. "Can we get something to eat?"

"Sure, de fast food's over here," said Joey, starting to walk towards the food court. The rest of the group followed him, except for Ishizu.

"I am going to go and find my brother," she said, and walked off in the direction of the hotel. Kaiba didn't know where to go.

"Kaiba, are you coming?" shouted Ryou.

"Yeah, Seto, come on!" shouted Mokuba. Kaiba walked after them.

_'Well, at least I'm being included,'_ he thought.

"Beat you to de food court, Kaiba!" said Joey, as Kaiba caught up to them. He ran in the direction of the food court. Kaiba shrugged and ran after him. Joey beat Kaiba to the food court by a couple of metres. He flopped onto the chair, laughing and panting. Kaiba did the same, then realised that he had just shown signs of friendship. He suddenly sat up straight.

"What is it, Kaiba?" said Joey.

"Err, nothing," said Kaiba blushing, although nobody saw because they had really red faces anyway. The others caught up with them and took their seats. Tristan hailed a waiter. They all ordered their food, and waited for it to come. Kaiba sunk back into a sullen silence. Yugi noticed that, and tried to turn the conversation to duel monsters, or something that Kaiba could participate in. But even when they started talking about duel monsters, Kaiba remained deep in thought. Kaiba did add a couple of sentences to their conversation, but he seemed very self-conscious. So, Yugi decided that maybe Kaiba had had enough for one day, and left him alone.

When their food came, Joey became a blur, stopping just enough to regain breath before digging in again. Kaiba stared at him in disgust.

"OK, everyone leave a metre radius around Joey when he's eating, for your own safety," laughed Mai. Joey had soon finished, while everyone else was only half way through their meals. So he sat there patiently, contributing to their discussion. Tristan was the second finished, followed closely by Ryou, Mokuba and Duke Devlin. Kaiba and Yugi finished next, then Tea and Mai. Then they paid, and started to head off towards the hotel. Kaiba noticed that Mai and Joey were holding hands.

"Err, we'll catch you guys up later," said Joey after a while. Mai was giggling and pulling at Joey's arm. Kaiba was intrigued by this, and decided to follow them.

"Hey, Seto, where are you going?" asked Mokuba as Kaiba steered off the path that everyone else was following.

"I'm going to go and see Ishizu about something. I don't want her using my tournament to get her brother back," said Kaiba.

"OK, Seto, I'll see you tomorrow," said Mokuba. The rest of the group waved goodbye to Kaiba, and he walked off in the direction of Ishizu's room. But before he got there, he walked off a side alley, and met up to the road which Joey and Mai had taken. He followed it slowly, keeping to the shadows. He heard laughter around the corner. He shrunk into the wall, and crept around the corner. What he saw surprised him beyond all reason. Joey and Mai were kissing passionately.

"Mai, in here," Joey whispered and they walked into a building. Kaiba followed them silently. He looked into a window, and saw them kissing again. Kaiba had seen enough. He doubted that anything would happen - or not if he could help it. Kaiba set himself up so that he looked like he was casually walking into the building. He then walked through the door. Kaiba cleared his throat.

"Go get a room," said Kaiba. The couple looked up.

"Err... hey Kaiba," said Joey blushing bright red.

"Please, save me the explanations," said Kaiba, with a talk-to-the-hand gesture. "I don't wish to believe that you're giving Mai mouth-to-mouth, Joey."

"But, how did you know?" asked Mai.

"It's blaringly obvious, you were both holding hands," said Kaiba. "But, anyway, I'm sorry I walked in on you, but can you try and find somewhere more private next time you want to... you know."

"Well, we'll try," she said. The couple got up.

"Err, shall we go?" asked Joey awkwardly. Kaiba nodded.

"I'll let you two go on ahead, I've got things I need to do here," he said. Joey and Mai walked quickly out of the building, maybe to go back to their rooms, or maybe to find somewhere more private.

_'Well, I probably shouldn't have spoiled it for them, but it's better that I find out than Marik,'_ thought Kaiba. He was sure that Marik, if he obtained information like that, would use it against the rest of the group to his advantage.

Outside, Mai and Joey were running towards the hotel, blushing furiously.

"Never again," said Mai. "We shall never give signs that we like each other in front of people that don't know it already." Joey nodded in agreement.

"I'll see you tomorrow Mai," he said and disappeared into the boy's room.

"Hey, Yuge," said Joey, as he got into bed.

"Hey Joey. What went on there?" asked Yugi.

"Well, Mai and I wanted a little private time, but den Kaiba walked in on us, so we had to go. But he seemed cool about it, no teasin' or anythin'. And he did apologise. He's starting to be nicer to us," said Joey. "I mean, he did let me test de game, and he raced me to de food court."

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if we have made a new friend," said Ryou.

"Well, goodnight, guys," said Joey, and he went to sleep.

The next morning, Kaiba was the first one up in the whole city. He decided to take a walk to clear his head.

"OK. Let's review my situation financially," he thought. "I am hosting a small tournament, which is costing a fair bit. I am developing a virtual reality game, which is also costing a fair bit. On the other hand, as more and more people become interested in duel monsters, sales of duel disks are going up. Next, review my situation personally. I care about my little brother as much as ever. I am gaining more friends because the others are trying to become one. I have a crush on Serenity, and she seems to like me too. Other than that, everything is normal, apart from the fact that Mai and Joey are together."

While he was thinking this, everyone else was getting up. Just as he was walking past the hotel, Yugi's group came out of there.

"Hey Kaiba!" shouted Yugi and Joey, running over to him.

"Hello, Yugi, Joey," said Kaiba.

"What are you doing up so early?" asked Ryou, coming up behind Joey and Yugi.

"I was just taking a walk," said Kaiba. "I needed to clear my head before the tournament today." Mai nodded.

"I know how you feel," she said. "There is just so much going on I feel my head is about to explode." Kaiba greeted the rest of the group, including Duke Devlin, who slotted into their group as usual.

"Let's hope this tournament turns out better than the last one," said Duke.

"You can say dat again," said Joey.

"Well, I'll see you guys later," said Kaiba. "I'm going to go and prepare for the tournament."

"See you later, Kaiba," said the rest of the group as Kaiba headed towards his hotel.

"Hey, Seto," said Mokuba as Kaiba walked into his hotel.

"Hello, Mokuba. How are you this morning?" asked Kaiba.

"I'm good. How about you?" asked Mokuba.

"Not too bad," said Kaiba.

"How are you getting along with Yugi and Ryou and all of them?" said Mokuba.

"Err... not too badly," said Kaiba, blushing.

"C'mon, Seto, they obviously want to make peace," said Mokuba.

"Well, if you must know, I'm not going too badly at all," said Kaiba. "They're all being really inclusive. But something's disturbing me..."

"What is it Seto?" said Mokuba.

"Well, it's just Mai and Joey," said Kaiba. "They're... well..."

"Yes?" asked Mokuba.

"I'll tell you later," said Kaiba quietly, as Ishizu walked up to him.

"Hello, Seto Kaiba," she said. "I trust you are ready for the tournament today?"

"Perfectly fine, thank you," said Kaiba. "If you'll excuse me, I have to prepare my deck." Ishizu nodded and continued on her way.

Back at the breakfast room, Joey said "Hey, has anyone seen Malik since we got here?"

"No, he must be staying in his room," said Yugi.

"Hello, Yugi," said Ishizu from behind them. They swung around.

"Hey, Ishizu," said Yugi, smiling. "Have you seen Malik around?"

"Yes. He is in his room. He will not allow me in. His darkness is taking everything," said Ishizu sadly.

"Well, we can start breaking that darkness today," said Yugi.

"Will all competitors please report to the duelling arena," said Kaiba's voice over a speaker system. "The tournament is about to begin." The group got up and walked to the duelling area.

"Good luck, guys," said Yugi.

"Right back at ya, Yuge," said Joey. They entered the duelling arena. Kaiba was standing on a podium. There was a small group of duellists surrounding the podium, talking quietly among themselves. They saw some familiar faces - Mako Tsunami, Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor. Malik was also standing there, looking like he'd rather be alone in his room.

"Greetings, duellists," said Kaiba. "This tournament is officially open. However, this tournament is slightly different from the last. You must collect the map once more, but I will be sending you inside my virtual reality game. Mokuba has gone in there personally and hidden enough maps for ten people to progress to the finals. While in there, you will be confronted by many duel monsters, as well as each other. As you can see, this tournament is slightly more complicated than the last. The maps are hidden everywhere in the virtual world. And," he said, pausing to look at Joey. "There are no helper fairies. Anything that seems like it might help you is probably an opponent. This part of the tournament will last maximum one week. Then the finals shall begin. Any questions?" Yugi thought of a very important question.

"What happens if your life points run out?" he shouted.

"You begin with 10 000 life points. This should last you for at least a day. In a duel between competitors, wager only 2000 life points at the most, for if your life points run out..." Kaiba paused. "Umm, I'm not absolutely sure. I think you might be stuck." Yugi gulped. In the last virtual reality game that Kaiba had invented, Joey, Mai and Mokuba had all been digitized. If it were not for the Mystical Elf, casting a spell to bring them back, they would have been dead.

"So use your life points sparingly," continued Kaiba. "At the beginning of each day, your life points will return to 10000. I will try and fix the problem about the life points as you play. Please, enter this building," said Kaiba, gesturing behind him. "Your pods await you inside." Yugi, Joey, Mai, Duke and Ryou said good bye to Tea and Tristan and entered the building. They all took seats in the pods that were lining each wall. Ishizu sat down next to Yugi. Malik sat in a corner. Rex and Weevil sat opposite Mai and Joey. Mako sat opposite Duke Devlin. Yugi's group sat in a row. Several other duellists that they didn't know took spots next to Malik. Malik didn't look too happy about that.

"Everyone ready?" shouted Mokuba. Everyone nodded. "Please insert your deck into the slot, and then I'll start the machine," said Mokuba.

"How old are you?" asked one of the duellists that Yugi didn't know.

"Twelve," answered Mokuba absent-mindedly as he prepared the machine.

"Kaiba, why are you letting this young boy operate your machine?" asked the duellist.

"This young boy is my brother," said Kaiba furiously. "I may mention that I am only sixteen." Yugi was surprised at this. He had always thought that Kaiba was older than them, maybe twenty. He had had no idea that they were the same age.

"Mokuba, start the machine," said Kaiba. Mokuba nodded, and pulled a lever. All of the chattering duellists suddenly fell silent, as their souls were taken to the virtual world.

* * *

**Lu:** That's it for now. Whoa, Kaiba's being nice. Eek... that's weird.

**Yami Lu:** Almost as weird as me being nice!

**Lu:** Yup. I would like to point out that there is a lot of exchanging between 'Marik' and 'Malik'. That's because Kaiba doesn't believe in Yamis. Now that that's cleared up… review!


	20. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Bad news... I can only update maximum once a week. I'm so sorry. Reasons: I've got more homework stupid school. My Mum's boss is back so she needs to use the computer more I have no time I'm really sorry.

**Yami Lu:** No you're not.

* * *

**Chapter 20 – Duel: Bakura vs Malik**

Yugi, Joey, Duke, Ryou and Mai turned up in the same area. Ishizu approached them from behind.

"I don't suppose any of you would like a duel yet?" she asked.

"Not yet, Ishizu," said Yugi. "We only just got here."

"Very well. I shall find my brother, and see if he wishes to duel," said Ishizu, and walked off.

"Well, let's try and figure out our approximate position," said Ryou.

"Well, when I played it, you started in de middle of a forest," said Joey.

"Very helpful, Joey," said Duke, sarcastically. Suddenly, Kaiba appeared beside them.

"Hey Kaiba," said the group in unison.

"Hello," said Kaiba.

"Why do you have to come in here?" asked Duke.

"Mokuba has been kind enough to hide all of the maps, so I have no idea where he put them. It's not fair if you guys get all the fun," said Kaiba, smiling.

"You wanna come with us?" asked Yugi.

"Umm, OK," said Kaiba uncomfortably. They started walking.

"So, how does all dis work?" asked Joey.

"All what?' asked Kaiba.

"De scorin' and stuff," said Joey.

"Well, the map has the location of another map on it. The final map has the location of the qualification card," said Kaiba.

"So, it's a bit like Duellist Kingdom and Battle City put together," said Yugi, thinking carefully.

"Yes, that is what I was aiming for," said Kaiba, smiling. He had wanted someone to figure it out.

"Why haven't we seen anything yet?" asked Mai. Kaiba stopped.

"I don't know," he said, his smile turning into a frown. "It is programmed so people can encounter monsters every 10 minutes or so. Maybe it works slower with more people." He sighed. "I'll have to work on that." He started walking again.

"So, how do you find the maps?" asked Ryou.

"According to Mokuba, they should just be lying around. Monsters also carry them. Mokuba placed the maps so they were spaced out. This is a big virtual world. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes us a long time to find any other duellists, which is good in a way. It means that people will probably have a map by the time you duel them," said Kaiba.

Meanwhile, back in the building, Mokuba was checking that everybody had got into the virtual world OK. He made sure that everybody was in the world, by checking it on the GameBoy-like screen. He saw Yugi, Joey, Mai, Ryou, Duke and Kaiba walking together.

"Well, he's trying," thought Mokuba. Then he was grabbed from behind.

"Hey, let go of me!" shouted Mokuba, struggling against the strong hands that were gripping him by the arms and legs. He tried to get a glimpse of his attacker. It was a robed figure.

"If you weren't invited to the tournament, then you're not welcome here," said Mokuba.

"Who said I wanted to duel?' said the robed figure in a gruff voice. Mokuba was bound and gagged by other members of the robed group.

"What do you want?" said Mokuba in a muffled voice. The group ignored him.

"OK, which one is Yugi Muto?" asked one member of the group.

"Does it matter?" said another one. "As long as we don't unplug Marik, it doesn't matter." They went down to the end of the row, next to Malik.

"OK, unplug this entire row except Master Malik," said the man that had grabbed Mokuba. They began unplugging the pods. When they got to the beginning of Yugi's group, they unplugged one, but then Tea and Tristan came up behind them and hit them on the head, knocking them out. They had come in when they heard Mokuba shouting.

"Mokuba, are you OK?" asked Tea, untying Mokuba and removing his gag.

"I think so," said Mokuba.

"How do we get these to work again?" said Tristan, gesturing to the unplugged pods.

"I have to rewrite the program," said Mokuba. "But I don't know what I have to do. Only Seto knows."

"Oh no!" shouted Tea. She ran over to one of the unplugged pods. Mai was sitting in it.

Back in the virtual world, Mai had collapsed.

"Mai!" shouted Joey, shaking her. "Mai, come back to me! Listen to me, Mai, you've gotta get up!" She lay unconscious on the floor.

"What happened?" asked Duke, shaken.

"One of the pods must have been unplugged," said Kaiba. "But who would have done that? Mokuba was standing guard up there..." All the colour drained out of Kaiba's face.

"Mokuba!" he shouted, and fell to his knees. "Something must have happened to him. He wouldn't have let them unplug the pods." He said this in a quavering voice.

"It's OK, Kaiba," said Ryou. "The rest of our pods would have been unplugged if anything was desperately wrong. Something must have happened to our advantage just after Mai was unplugged." Kaiba was shaking, but he managed to stand up.

"You're right," said Kaiba.

Joey was letting his tears fall silently onto the ground.

"Is there anyway that we can get her back?" asked Yugi softly.

"Not unless Mokuba can figure out how to overwrite the program," said Kaiba. "But I am the only one who can do it perfectly. We'll have to wait until the program runs itself out and returns us to the real world." Yugi let one tear fall silently down his cheek. Yugi's Puzzle flashed, and Yami appeared.

"We must keep moving," he said. Joey looked up, crying silently.

"Joey, it's the only way we can get Mai back. If we can get a couple of maps, that means that we'll have accomplished something today," said Yami quietly. Joey nodded, sniffed, and got up. He picked up Mai in his arms, and followed Kaiba, who had already started. The others followed them.

"I hope Mai's OK," said Ryou.

"So do I," said Yami. "Not just for Mai's sake, but for Joey's sake. He's finally found someone he likes, and for it just to be over like that..." he trailed off.

"What, are Mai and Joey going out?" asked Duke.

"Yeah, didn't he tell you?" asked Yami.

"Not yet," said Duke.

"Well, they've been together for about two weeks now," said Ryou. "I think you're the only one out of us who doesn't know it."

"What, does Kaiba know?" said Duke.

"Yep, he walked in on us last night," said Joey.

"I'm really sorry about that," said Kaiba.

"Have you two been listening to our whole conversation?" asked Duke. They both nodded.

"I didn't mean to," continued Kaiba. "Anyway, better me find out than Marik. He'd use that information against you." Joey nodded. Tears were still trickling slowly down his face.

"Look!" said Kaiba, running towards a tree. A small shred of paper lay there, glowing slightly. "It's a map!" said Kaiba.

"Well done, Kaiba!" said Duke.

"Do we all have to have our own maps?" asked Ryou.

"Well, not really," said Kaiba.

"So we can all look at your map!" said Duke.

"Well, yes, basically," said Kaiba uncomfortably. A week ago he would have gone and told them to find their own maps. But now...

"Where does it say we have to go?" asked Yami.

"Well, according to my memory, we're about here," said Kaiba, pointing to an area on the map. "So we have to go here." He pointed to a small star on the map.

"So we have to go up here?" said Duke, pointing up a small track. Kaiba looked at the map. Joey looked over his shoulder.

"I'm not sure," said Kaiba.

"Don't we have to go through de bush?" said Joey quietly. Everyone looked at him. "Well, if we started dere," said Joey, gesturing to the map with his head. "Den we'd be around here, facin' this direction, so we'd have to go through dere." Kaiba looked at Joey, and then back at the map.

"I think he's right," said Ryou. Yami and Duke nodded. Kaiba sighed.

"Then let's go," he said. He walked into the bushes.

"Just when I think I've figured Joey out, he goes and confuses me again," thought Kaiba. "He acts so stupid, but then, when he's stressed, he suddenly can show intelligence." Joey walked silently behind the rest of the group, holding Mai in his arms.

"Dis is all Malik's fault!" shouted Joey suddenly. Yami turned around.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"I just know, I can feel it," he said, shaking with suppressed rage.

"Joey, calm down," said Ryou, alarmed. Joey took a couple of deep breaths, and started walking again. He didn't look at anyone, simply stared straight ahead.

"Man, Joey's scaring me," whispered Duke.

"He's really determined. Malik seems to have something in for Mai and him. It's good that Malik doesn't really know that they're going out, otherwise he'd target one or the other to force the other one to do something. Not that he doesn't already," said Yami. Ryou nodded.

"Let's just hope we don't run into him while we're here," he said.

So they continued walking in silence for about ten minutes. Joey still seemed to have tears dripping down his face. Mai had not even stirred since she had fallen, and Joey was desperately concerned for her.

But as they were walking down the road, a monster rose up in front of them. It was big, long and had huge fangs.

"It's attack is 3500 and its defence is 2500!" shouted Kaiba. "It's too strong for my Blue Eyes!"

"Yami!" shouted Joey. Yami nodded.

"Teamwork," he muttered.

"I play de Red Eyes Black Dragon!" shouted Joey, while his favourite monster appeared on the field in front of him.

"And I play the Summoned Skull!" shouted Yami. "And we'll fuse them with the Polymerisation Card to create..."

"De Black Skull Dragon!" shouted Joey. He had lain Mai down on the floor while he was duelling. "I'll use my Dragon Claw card to raise his attack power by 500, bringin' his attack power up to 3800."

"Black Skull Dragon, attack!" shouted Yami. The Dragon shot a fireball at the other monster, which was blasted into little pieces.

"Good job!" said Bakura. Joey bent down and picked Mai up again.

"Well, let's get goin' again," he said in a flat voice.

"Joey, you've gotta cheer up," said Yami.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because it's really depressing, having your best friend remain silent," said Yami. Joey stared at Yami for a moment, then nodded.

"OK Yami, I'll try and keep my spirits up, but you guys have to help me. It's really hard, what with Mai..." he trailed off. Another tear rolled down his cheek.

"C'mon, Joey, she'll be OK, Kaiba will fix her as soon as we get back, right Kaiba?" asked Duke.

"Sure," said Kaiba. "It's my duty as owner of the tournament to ensure duellists safety." Joey nodded, and swallowed.

"OK, I'm ready," he said.

"Let's go," said Kaiba. Yami tried to lift up Joey's spirits by reminding him of all the other times that they had pulled through.

"Joey, remember what happened when Kaiba was trapped in the virtual world, and you and Mai were digitized away. We got you back then, didn't we? And how about when Malik trapped Mai's mind in the Shadow Realm. We got her back then, didn't we?" said Yami.

Joey thought about it for a moment, and then replied "Yes."

"And we're going to get Mai back this time too," said Yami.

"Thanks Yami," said Joey, with a weak smile.

"That's what friends are for, Joey," said Yami, smiling.

At that moment, a figure appeared on the road ahead. It was Malik.

"Malik," hissed Joey.

"Hello, Wheeler," sneered Marik. "What happened to your girlfriend?" Joey blushed furiously.

"Malik, did you have anything to do with Mai being unplugged?" asked Yami.

"Maybe," Marik said evasively.

"Malik, did you or did you not get people to unplug Mai's pod?" asked Kaiba.

"Why don't you try and make me tell you?" said Marik. Ryou's Millennium Ring flashed.

"Malik, shall we finish our duel?" said Bakura.

"Gladly," said Malik.

"For all the Millennium items here now," said Bakura.

"It's time to duel!" shouted Malik.

They withdrew their decks, set them in the duel disks, and began.

"Where were we?" asked Bakura.

"I had just destroyed your monster," said Malik.

"And I had taken away your life points with my magic card," said Bakura.

They began to duel. Joey sat down on the grass, lay Mai across his lap, and started to brush her hair away from her eyes.

_'Mai, come back, please,'_ he thought, and tried to restrain the tears that were fighting to come out again. He held her close to him, in a hug.

_'Mai, I promise, I will stop at nothin' until you come back to me,'_ he thought, gritting his teeth.

Kaiba watched the duel with interest. He didn't know what to think about the Millennium items anymore. Already today, he had seen Ryou and Yugi change dramatically within a matter of seconds. They both supposedly possessed Millennium items. He looked around. Yami was watching the duel with his arms crossed. Duke was watching the duel and looking slightly confused, because he didn't really know what was going on, because he had not been in the shack at the top of the mountain. Joey was sitting on the floor cross-legged, with Mai's head resting on his lap. Kaiba approached him.

"Are you OK, Joey?" he asked. Joey looked up with weary eyes.

"I don't know," he said. "Mai is like a soul mate to me, like Yuge and Yami are. And den, she just collapses randomly... it's just too much." He looked down, shaking his head.

"Joey, we will get her back. I'll override the programs, and we'll find her here tomorrow morning," said Kaiba. Joey looked up again suddenly.

"Tomorrow morning? She'll be here overnight?" he asked. Kaiba nodded. "She can't stay here on her own overnight. I'm staying with her," said Joey.

"You don't have a choice. You have to come with us unless someone unplugs your pod too," said Kaiba.

"Can't you just override de system here? You said dere are voice activated commands dat you can use to stop de game," said Joey. Kaiba suddenly looked like he'd had an idea.

"I can stop the game, but only for me. I'll go out, get Mai back, and come back in," he said. Joey's face brightened. "End stimulation," said Kaiba, and he disappeared.

* * *

**Lu:** Review! 


	21. Revision still in process

**Lu:** I'm back. I have been desperate to update this thing, but I haven't got time. A bit of TeaxYami in here, but Tea isn't in the chapter, it's just him thinking about her a lot.

**Yami Lu:** Why? What is it with the couples? Why don't you write something normal? Please? Please?

* * *

**Chapter 21 – The Millennium Necklace**

Outside, in the real world, Kaiba awoke.

"Seto, what happened?" said Mokuba, running over to him.

"Mai was unplugged. Joey was stressed, so I came back to override the system," said Kaiba.

"I know. Some robed guys tied me up, and started unplugging all of those pods over there. Tea and Tristan came in and knocked them out. They're over there. We were hoping one of you would come back soon, especially you. We wanted to know how Mai was, and get you to help her," said Mokuba.

"Well, Mai isn't too good. She hasn't moved or spoken since she was unplugged. Joey has had to carry her. He's really stressed. He doesn't like seeing Mai like this," said Kaiba.

"Well, you can fix that," said Mokuba. Kaiba walked over to the main control panel. He pressed some buttons.

"Mokuba, can you plug the pods in again?" said Kaiba. Mokuba did so. Kaiba pressed a few more, and finally a big red button. **_A/N: Yeah, I know that's really typical. A big red button._**

"I think that's done. I'll go back in the game. You keep an eye out for any more creeps, and keep an eye on us in the game," said Kaiba, and he walked over to the pod.

When he was back in the game, he had to find the rest of the group. He was pretty sure Bakura and Marik would still be duelling.

"Yugi! Joey! Duke! Mai! Ryou!" he shouted. He heard somebody shouting back. He followed the sound. He found Bakura and Malik still duelling, Joey and Mai hugging, and Duke and Yami standing near Joey and Mai laughing. Joey spotted Kaiba.

"Kaiba!" he said, and launched himself at Kaiba in a brotherly hug. Mai started laughing. Kaiba was startled. He had never had such a friendly action directed towards him. Joey released Kaiba. "You did it!" he said in a joyful voice.

"Yeah. It turns out some robed creeps started unplugging the pods after tying Mokuba up. Tea and Tristan knocked them out after they unplugged Mai. You would have been next, Joey. I don't know who they were, I was keen to get back to you guys," Kaiba said.

"Thanks Kaiba," said Mai. Joey got her in a hug again. Everyone was laughing. Kaiba looked at Bakura and Malik, who seemed to have finished their duel.

"I win!" said Marik. He held out his hand. Bakura scowled, and held his Millennium Ring.

"I'm not going to give it to you," he said. Malik shrugged, and turned to Yami.

"Hand over your Millennium items," said Malik. Yami shook his head.

"I'm not giving them to you," he said. Then he froze.

Yami felt something strange. He felt like he was being pulled through a pitch black vortex, which was all he could see. Then, a bright light appeared. He was pulled towards it and came out the other side.

He was floating in the air, maybe 4 or 5 metres above the ground. He surveyed the scene below, and his eyes widened in horror. Tea was lying on the ground. Her arms and legs were jutting out at different angles, and her face was pale.

Yami then felt the pull again, and he returned to reality.

"Yami, are you OK? Yami?" said Joey's voice. Yami opened his eyes. The concerned faces of his friends surrounded his view. Joey, Mai, Duke, Ryou and Kaiba were standing over him.

"Yami, what happened?" asked Duke. Yami was speechless. He had just seen one of his friends near death, and he didn't like it one bit. Especially because it was her.

"It was the Millennium Necklace. It activated and I saw Tea looking like she was almost dead," he said hoarsely. Mai gasped.

"Tea? What happened?" asked Ryou. Yami gulped. He was panting.

"Her limbs were all at different angles. Her face was really pale," he said.

"Not paler dan yours is now, mate," said Joey.

"What happened with Malik?" asked Yami.

"He's still waiting impatiently for your items," said Kaiba. They all stood back. Joey helped Yami up. He supported Yami, who seemed too shocked to move.

_'No, not Tea. Don't take Tea. Tea's more than a friend to me,'_ Yami thought.

/Is that really how you feel about her/ asked Yugi from the soul room. Yami looked around and saw his Hikari.

/Yes/ said Yami without hesitation.

/My alter ego, liking my oldest friend/ said Yugi, smiling and shaking his head.

/Yugi! This is serious! Tea is going to die if we don't do something/ said Yami. Yugi's face fell.

/I'm sorry, Yami, you're right/ he said.

"Yami, what are we goin' to do?" said Joey, breaking the spirit's conversation.

"We've got to get back to Tea and warn her," said Yami.

"How do you think we're going to do that?" asked Ryou. Kaiba checked his watch.

"The stimulation ends in half an hour, so we can tell her when we get back," he said.

"But by then, it might be too late," said Yami.

"I can't do anything about that. No one except me can get back by using the voice activated commands. It really will not be long before we are back there with Tea, and Mokuba and Tristan," said Kaiba.

"Yami, I know what it's like to have de loss of someone close to you at hand," said Joey, glancing at Mai. "But, as you said, we've always got through everything. We've been through tough times before, but we always manage. I'm not being unsympathetic or anythin', but I'm tryin' to calm you down, just like you did with me while Mai was in trouble. And if she does get in trouble, she knows dat you'd do anythin' for her. Dat would be enough to keep her goin', knowin' dat you were gonna come and get her, like I did with Mai." Yami looked at Joey, and saw his brown eyes staring steadily at him. Yami drew a deep breath, and sighed.

"Of course, you're right. I shouldn't have broken down like that," he said. Joey clapped Yami on the back.

"Dat's my man. Now, let's make de most of de time we got left here and try and locate de next map," he said.

"We've gotta go this way," said Kaiba pointing up a path. Malik cleared his throat.

"I may remind you that I could do anything to any one of you at any moment," he said in an annoyed tone. Yami turned to him.

"Marik, if you hurt even the hair on the heads of my friends, I swear that I will personally take you down. In a duel, in a Shadow Game, I don't care where, but you will go down," he said in a quavering voice.

"And I'll be right dere with him," said Joey, stepping forward.

"And me," said Mai, following Joey.

"And me," said Ryou, stepping to the other side of Yami.

"And me, I suppose," said Kaiba. Malik looked at all of them, and started laughing.

"Do you really think that your threats matter to me? And who from? A CEO of a company, someone who can't even control their Millennium item, some guy and his girlfriend and an ancient Pharaoh. Really threatening," he said, an evil grin back on his face.

"Malik, I challenge you to a Shadow Game. If I win, you leave my friends alone," shouted Yami.

"And if I win, you give me the Millennium Necklace," said Malik. Yami hesitated and then nodded. His Millennium Puzzle and Necklace flashed, and the golden beams from both of them combined to make a white light. Malik's Rod flashed golden, and the two beams of light clashed. They began struggling against each other. One minute, the golden light was subsiding, the next it was pushing the white light towards Yami. Yami braced himself as the golden light hit him.

"I won, Bel um Fal," said Malik triumphantly. Yami growled, but began to remove his Millennium Necklace. He handed it to Malik. Malik lifted up in the air, probably to admire his prize. Yami held out his hand for a handshake. Malik ignored him. Yami sighed.

"Let's go," he said.

"This way," said Kaiba. They started to walk away.

"Yami, are you OK?" said Joey once they were out of earshot.

"I suppose. I feel a bit guilty. That was given to me by Ishizu Ishtar, to help me defeat her brother. And I give it to him on a platter," said Yami.

"Look!" said Mai, running over to a tree. She pointed up it. A map was glowing in one of the braches.

"Allow me," said Joey, and he gave her a boost. She took the map from the branches.

"All right!" said Joey. Everyone looked over Mai's shoulder. The star on this map seemed to be in the middle of the desert. Kaiba checked his watch.

"Only thirty seconds until we have to go back," he said. Everyone stood there blankly, waiting for the time to return.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one," said Kaiba, keeping his eyes on the watch. A black light surrounded them, and they disappeared.

* * *

**Lu:** Here's to the end of another chapter and the beginning of some YamixTea. But Seto and Serenity get together before there is much more. But there's lots! Coming up!

**Yami Lu:** Well, I'm tired. Nighties! snore

**Lu:** Riiight... that's weird... oh well! Review!


	22. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Well, here's the next chapter. This is mainly SetoxSerenity, with bits of YamixTea scattered throughout. No JoeyxMai though :(

**Yami Lu:** Oh, boo-hoo, cry, weep, that's so depressing. Not.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 22 – Slip!**

They reawoke in the pod room. Yami immediately got up, and walked over to Mokuba.

"Mokuba, where is Tea?" he asked, grabbing onto Mokuba by the shoulders.

"She's over there," said Mokuba, pointing.

"Tea!" cried Yami. He ran over to her, and flung his arms around her. Tea looked startled for a moment, but hugged back. Yami pulled away, smiling.

"You're OK," he said. Tea nodded and laughed.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked, giggling.

"No reason," said Yami quickly.

"Hey, Yami! Guess what? My sister's comin' tonight," said Joey.

Kaiba's heart leapt. Serenity was coming to his tournament? Then he thought about it logically. _'Of course she is. Joey wasn't going to let her stay at home with her father. And she would want to watch her brother. I wonder if she remembers the other week... I sure do,'_ he thought.

Later that evening, Serenity arrived. She greeted Joey with a big hug.

"Hey sis! What's happenin'?" said Joey.

"Not much. Camp wasn't as good as I thought it would be. But, I'm here now," she said.

"Hey Serenity!" said the rest of the group. Kaiba stood there in silence. She looked at him, smiled slightly, and walked off with her brother.

Later that night, Mai, Tea and Serenity were playing truth or dare in their room.

"Truth or Dare?" said Mai to Tea.

"Umm, truth," said Tea.

"OK, who do you like?" said Mai. Tea blushed. She liked Yami. But she was very embarrassed about that. But this was Truth or Dare, and she had to tell the truth.

"OK, I like... Yami," she said quickly. Mai was stunned.

"Well, I like Joey, so I guess we're both pretty weird," she said, and laughed.

"At least your crush isn't 5000 years old," muttered Tea. Serenity immediately became comforting.

"It's OK, Tea, you can't help who you like. Anyway, he is pretty cool," said Serenity.

"I suppose," sighed Tea.

"Anyway, Mai, it's your go. Truth or dare?" said Serenity

"Dare," said Mai confidently.

"OK, I dare you to kiss Joey in front of everyone - Yugi, Tristan, Ryou, Duke, Mokuba, Kaiba, and anyone else who happens to be there," said Tea. Mai nodded. All of the people Tea had mentioned in the first place already knew that she and Joey were together.

"Where? On the cheek?" asked Mai.

"Yeah, wherever you feel like it. I'm not going to make you do proper kissing in front of Kaiba," said Tea. Mai nodded.

"Although you're a little late. Joey and I were... well, you know... the other night, and Kaiba walked in on us. I think he was watching us before that. But he seemed sincerely sorry about it, and he didn't tease us, like he would normally," said Mai.

"I know, I think he's actually accepting our invitation to be friends," said Tea.

"Anyway, I'm really tired," yawned Mai. "I'll see you in the morning, Tea. You too Serenity."

_'Kaiba and Joey? Friends? This could mean... me and Seto... who knows?'_ she thought.

The next morning, Serenity was the first up.

_'I'm gonna go and find Kaiba,'_ she thought. She got changed, picked up her jacket and went out onto the street.

_'I need another walk,'_ thought Kaiba. He grabbed his trench coat, and exited his hotel. It was raining. _'Oh well. At least I'll get some exercise. I don't think running around in the virtual world counts as exercise.'_

Serenity was blinded by the rain. She couldn't see anything for all the raindrops in her eyes. _'Maybe I should go back,'_ she thought, and turned around abruptly.

Which meant that she walked straight into Seto Kaiba.

"Oh my god! Seto, I'm so sorry," she said, helping Kaiba back onto his feet.

"Serenity... I've gotta ask you something," he said, not letting go of Serenity's hand. "Are you ever going to tell Joey?"

"Yes. I heard from the other girls last night that you guys are kind of becoming friends. If that is so, I would be willing to tell Joey today," she said. Kaiba smiled.

"Does that mean...?" he started. Serenity smiled, and kissed him. The rain was still pouring down. They pulled away, and started walking down the street in a content silence. But, the rain had covered the footpath, and Serenity slipped.

"Ahh!" she cried.

"Serenity!" said Kaiba. He reached his hand down to help her up. She took it, and Kaiba pulled. But as she got up, her ankle gave way.

"I think it's twisted," said Serenity weakly. Kaiba thought for a moment, and bent down. He picked her up, and he walked towards the hotel. He kicked the door open. Inside stood Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Tea, Mai, Ryou and Duke, discussing something.

"Where is Serenity?" asked Joey in a frustrated voice. Kaiba cleared his throat. Joey swung around and saw Serenity. "Serenity!" he cried, running over to her. He stepped back and surveyed the couple. "Thank you Kaiba," said Joey, and reached out, offering to take Serenity off him. Kaiba didn't hand her over.

"Err, Joey, I've gotta tell you something," started Serenity.

"What is it?" asked Joey.

"I'm in love with someone," she said. Joey stared at her.

"Who?" he asked. The look on his face was somewhere between curious and disapproval. Duke and Tristan, standing in the background, both looked very hopeful.

"Umm... Seto," she said, blushing bright red. Joey's jaw dropped, and he started looking from Kaiba to Serenity. "I'm sorry Joey. I just do, I can't help it," she said, desperately looking at Joey with pleading eyes.

"I promise, Joey, that I will take good care of her. She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, and she's smart and talented too. Just give me a chance with her," said Kaiba. Joey looked at Kaiba, and then gulped and nodded.

"I can't stop Serenity datin' who she likes. But Kaiba, if you hurt her, I swear..." started Joey.

"I promise that I will never hurt her," said Kaiba.

"Can you prove dat to me now?" asked Joey. "OK, you give me one of your Blue-Eyes." Kaiba looked confused, but shifted Serenity's weight onto one of his arms, and took out his deck. He quickly shifted through it, took out one of his Blue-Eyes and handed it to Joey.

Joey smiled, took out a lighter, and held it up to the card. Kaiba didn't take his eyes off the card, but didn't seem to be overly depressed or angry at the fact that Joey was about to burn his card. Serenity looked angry, but she couldn't stop Joey. This was a matter between him and Kaiba.

Laughing, Joey lowered the lighter, and pocketed it. He handed Kaiba his card back. Kaiba was, by now, utterly baffled at Joey's actions.

"I just wanted to see whether you'd let me do it," explained Joey. "Kinda like a test."

Behind Joey, Duke and Tristan were looking crestfallen. They both had a crush on Serenity, but Serenity had made it obvious on many occasions that she only liked them as friends.

"Anyway, what happened out dere? Why were you two out so early on a mornin' like dis?" asked Joey.

"I wanted to speak to Seto," said Serenity.

"And I simply wanted a walk," said Kaiba.

"We bumped into each other. Then I slipped and twisted my ankle, and Seto carried me back here," said Serenity.

"OK, I'm just glad you're safe," said Joey. "I was so worried."

Yugi watched all of this with a smile on his face. He had known that Serenity liked Kaiba, and was pretty sure he returned her feelings. He knew that Serenity would be good for Kaiba. And he knew Kaiba would never hurt Serenity on purpose. He was glad that Joey understood, and was accepting Kaiba for who he was.

/Yugi, I have to ask you something/ said Yami from within the soul room.

/Sure Yami. What is it/ said Yugi cheerfully.

/Umm... can I talk to Tea some time today/ said Yami, not looking into Yugi's eyes and blushing as brightly as the sun.

/Sure, Yami. Don't get nervous. She likes you too. Just tell her/ said Yugi approaching Yami and patting him on the shoulder. Yami didn't look him in the eyes.

/There's no point Yugi. I don't have my own body. She's not going to want to go out with someone who can only see her when they possess someone else's body/ said Yami sadly. Yugi was startled to see a small drop of water well up in the corner of Yami's eye. Yami lifted his hand up and wiped it away. /Yugi, am I... crying/ he asked.

/Yes, Yami. You're upset and sad/ said Yugi quietly.

/But why/ asked Yami, another tear rolling down his face.

/You obviously like her more than you know. Yami, I know it must be incredibly hard for you, only being able to see her when I let you take over. But she's going to like someone else unless you make a move. Tristan and Duke are probably gonna start looking for someone now, and since Tea's free.../ began Yugi.

/No/ shouted Yami.

/There you go. Just try/ said Yugi, smiling.

They were interrupted by everyone else going into the boy's bedroom. Yugi followed them.

Kaiba lay Serenity down on the bed. She looked tired but content. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. Joey looked at both of them.

_'Well, Serenity seems happy. And Kaiba doesn't look like he means to hurt her. I suppose it could work out...'_ he thought.

"Seto, what time is it?" asked Serenity suddenly.

"Umm... 8:25. Wait a sec. We're meant to be in the pod room in 5 minutes!" he shouted, leaping up.

"Let's go!" shouted Joey, grabbing his deck and running outside.

"Goodbye, Serenity," said Kaiba. He squeezed her shoulder. She smiled. Yugi followed Joey. Bakura, Kaiba, Duke and Mai ran out after him.

* * *

**Lu:** What do you reckon? And, for anyone who doesn't know, Mind Game is being updated! So that's another one of my stories to review if you like JoeyxMai and YamixTea.

**Yami Lu:** Or you can go and read, like, err... watch TV! They're the best invention ever!

**Lu:** So not true. The best invention ever are those mobile phones that have the internet and TV! Review!


	23. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Hey, I'm here again! groans heard. Hey, I said I was sorry I couldn't update. ducks flying fridge thrown at her Yami!

**Yami Lu:** Sorry, couldn't resist -

**Lu:** --" I'm sure you couldn't. This is the major change. Lots of YamixTea after this point! - Anyway, reviewers-

**Yami Lu:** Not that you have any.

**Lu:** Here we go again! Oh, and in your next review, can y'all tell me if you're a guy or a girl? Inwe and kai4eva excepted, 'cause I already know them. And if it's on your profile, I apologize. I've read all your profiles, but I have a very short-term memory. Kinda like Dory's in Finding Nemo. But anyway, on with the fic!

* * *

**Chapter 23 – Captured and Helpless**

They arrived at the pod room, panting.

"Seto! You made it," said Mokuba. "Hurry, the stimulation is about to begin."

They bolted towards their pods, and sat down.

"Three... two... one..." said Mokuba through the microphone. He pulled a lever, and the bodies of the duellists fell limp once more.

Inside the virtual world, the group woke up at the edge of the forest. They all stood up.

"Well, at least we came to here. It'll make it easier to get to the next map. The map said the next one was in the desert," said Mai.

"Yeah, let's go," said Yugi. They started walking into the desert.

An hour later, they were sweating and panting. Needless to say, it was hot in the middle of the desert.

"Kaiba, you really make dis all realistic, don't you? Even de heat..." said Joey, wiping some sweat off his head.

"Well, it's all part of the virtual experience," said Kaiba. Joey snorted. Suddenly, a huge monster appeared in front of them.

"I'll take care of it," said Mai, drawing a card. "I play the Harpy Lady sisters!"

"Mai, it's too strong," shouted Joey. "I'll help you along with this card. Harpy's Brother!"

The four harpies appeared on the field.

"Attack!" shouted Mai and Joey simultaneously. The harpies flew towards the monster and attacked. But it seemed that even their combined powers were not strong enough. The four harpies were destroyed.

"Allow me," said Kaiba, drawing his card. "Blue Eyes White Dragon, White Lightning attack!" The dragon appeared on the field. It shot a ball of white electricity at the monster, and the opposing monster was shattered. Mai and Joey checked their life points. They were both down to 8000.

"Man, that thing was strong," said Duke. Everyone nodded in agreement. "Look! Another map!" shouted Duke suddenly, and ran to the site where the monster had been destroyed. A map lay on the ground.

"Way to go Duke!" shouted Ryou. The group ran over to congratulate Duke and Kaiba.

Back in the pod room, Mokuba and Tristan were having a game of cards while Serenity watched.

"Hey, have any of you seen Tea since she said she needed to go to the bathroom?" asked Serenity suddenly. Tristan thought for a moment.

"No," he said slowly.

"But she went there over an hour ago," said Mokuba. Serenity stood up.

"I'm going to go and look for her," she said. Tristan immediately stood up to support her.

"Thanks Tristan," said Serenity. He helped her limp to the bathroom. "I'll go," she said. She limped inside, using the wall for support. "Tea!" she shouted. "Hello? Tea, are you in here?" She heard no reply. She limped outside again. "She's not in there," she said in a worried voice. Tristan and Serenity checked all of the bathrooms around, and then started on all the other rooms. They then headed back to the pod room. But Mokuba didn't greet them. Mokuba was unconscious, and they were greeted instead by two robed figures.

"You're coming with us," one of them said. They walked forward, and held Serenity and Tristan's hands behind their back before they could react.

"What do you want with us?" spat Tristan. The people did not reply. "Hello? If we are captive, we would like to know why," said Tristan.

"Then look over at those pods over there," said Tristan's captor, turning him towards Malik. Next to Malik was another robed figure, and Tea.

"But Tea isn't in the competition. She isn't meant to be in the virtual world. Why?" shouted Tristan, struggling against the strong grip of his opponent.

"Keep still. We will be forced to knock you out otherwise," said the person holding Serenity. Tristan fell silent.

Malik watched Yugi, Joey, Mai, Bakura, Duke and Kaiba start walking across the desert again. Tea lay unconscious in a branch of a tree behind him. He turned to her.

"So beautiful..." he muttered, brushing his lips against hers. "Too bad she will not be alive at the end of the day."

Yami jumped up inside the soul room.

/Yugi/ he shouted. /Something bad's happening to Tea/

Yugi entered the soul room. /What? I didn't feel anything/ he said.

/Well I did. Not like she's hurt or anything, but she is definitely not safe/ said Yami, his eyes wide in fear. He cared a lot about Tea. **_A/N: And we all didn't know that, did we? sarcastic_**

/Yami, are you sure you felt it? Usually if something happens, we both feel it, but I didn't feel a thing/ said Yugi.

/I know I did. My heart is still aching. Yugi, we must get to her/ said Yami, his hand clenching into fists as he tried to hold back tears. Yugi approached him, and put his hand on his shoulder. Yami didn't look at him. He had never cried before this week. He didn't want Yugi to see him like this. Yugi forced Yami to look at him.

/Yami, we will find her/ said Yugi confidently.

/Yugi, may I please take over/ said Yami. Yugi looked a bit startled at the request, but smiled and nodded.

The Millennium Puzzle flashed, and Yami appeared where Yugi had been walking. He was still holding back tears.

"Tea is in trouble," he said. "We must save her."

"Huh?" said Joey, turning around. "Oh, it's you, Yami."

"How do you know this?" asked Ryou.

"I just do. I can feel it. Yugi said he couldn't feel it, but I can. We must save her!" he shouted. A tear slid down his face.

"Yami... I've never seen you cry," said Mai, putting her arms around his shoulder. He sniffed.

"Come on. If Yami says Tea's in trouble, den I believe him," said Joey. "Lead de way." Yami nodded and started walking back towards the forest.

Malik surveyed the sudden change of direction of the group with interest.

"Maybe Bel um Fal felt something... what could I have done? Maybe when I kissed Tea... but how would he? No one else seemed to. Unless... he loves her... could he?" he muttered.

"What?" said Tea, who had woken up. "What did you say?"

"Doesn't look as though Yami's coming for you," lied Malik. Tea looked crestfallen.

"Yami! Please! Save me!" she shouted, struggling against the ropes that Malik had used to tie her to the tree when she had came to.

"Tea!" shouted Yami, and started to run.

"Yami! Wait! What's going on?" called Ryou.

"Tea! Tea's in big trouble! We've got to hurry," he said, and continued sprinting. Everyone else exchanged glances, and started running after Yami. The forest grew closer as they ran, and Yami did not slow down.

"Don't worry Tea. I promise that I will be there for you soon," he muttered.

_'It seems whatever I do to Tea effects Bel um Fal. He must love her. No one else could be that in tune to her emotions,'_ thought Malik. _'Maybe I can make them effect him so much that he cannot do anything.'_ He turned to Tea.

"My dear, please excuse this," he sneered. He removed a knife from his pocket. Tea screamed. He approached her, knife outstretched. She struggled against her bonds. But instead of hurting her, Malik cut her bonds. She fell to the ground, panting.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, rubbing her wrists. Malik smiled.

"Why should I tell you?" he asked. Tea lay on the ground, too physically exhausted to run away. Malik approached her with the knife again. He cut her cheek. Tea squealed slightly, but couldn't move to protect herself.

* * *

**Lu:** We are at the end of yet another chapter.

**Yami Lu:** bows her head Yes, very, very, noble words. coughs

**Lu:** I said no more comments!

**Yami Lu:** I was making comments throughout the whole chapter, but you said you didn't want to hear them, so I was talking to Malik and Bakura -

**Lu:** growl leaps for Yami Lu pauses for a second to address reviewers Review! goes back to strangling Yami Lu


	24. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Here we go! I'm really sorry for the late update, but it's all OK now. This is the final chapter before I have to begin writing again, so the updates may become even less. Yes, I know you all hate me. I'm only going to answer questions in reviews now, because I'm writing three fics and I've got homework and projects etc. so the updates and review answers will reduce henceforth.

**Yami Lu:** Damn homework... can't I just send the teachers to the Shadow Realm?

**Lu:** No, I'd just get detention.This chapter's kinda corny, but hey!

* * *

**Chapter 24 – The Pharaoh's Power**

Yami felt an ache in his heart. This time, so did everyone else. Everyone sped up.

"We have to get to her," shouted Yami. Joey nodded, panting. They reached the edge of the forest. Yami stopped for a moment, deciding which direction to go. "This way," he said, and ran into a large clump of trees.

Malik saw that Yami was barely 5 minutes away by walking, and Yami was sprinting. "That's right, Pharaoh, come and get her," he laughed. Tea heard him, and her heart lifted.

_'Yami's coming,'_ was the only thought that her mind contained.

Yami burst into a small clearing, and saw Tea lying on the ground, like in his vision. "Tea!" she shouted, and ran to her. He knelt down beside her and lifted her into a sitting position, leaning against him.

"I knew you'd come for me Yami," she murmured. She fell limp in his arms. He held her close to him, tears filling his eyes again.

"She will be dead soon," said Malik's voice. Yami didn't look at him. He didn't want Malik to see him as weak. He continued to hold Tea, letting his tears drip onto her. Joey, Mai, Bakura, Duke and Kaiba ran into the clearing.

"Marik!" shouted Kaiba. "This is against tournament rules! You will be disqualified!" Malik laughed hysterically.

"Disqualified? I don't care about my placing in the tournament! I simply want him dead!" he said, pointing at Yami.

"Why kill Tea too?" said Mai.

"Because... Bel um Fal loves her," said Malik. Everyone looked at Yami. He didn't look at them, simply held Tea even tighter. "Well, let's see what damage I can do here..." said Malik, picking up his Rod and approaching Yami and Tea. He lifted his Rod, and Tea's breathing became shallow.

"No!" shouted Yami, holding Tea so tightly that even if she was awake, she wouldn't have been able to get out of his grip. "Malik, what have you done to her?"

"Her mind is in the Shadow Realm. How far are you willing to go to get her back?" asked Malik evilly. Yami remained silent. "Would you be willing to... die for her?"

"Yes," said Yami, still looking at Tea.

"Well, how about this? I release her, and then you die," said Malik. Yami paused for a moment, his eyes closed. He nodded. Malik smiled, and raised his Rod. Tea's eyes flickered open.

"Yami?" she said quietly, realising she was in his arms.

"Tea, I need to tell you something," said Yami.

"No, Pharaoh, now you are coming with me," said Malik. He snapped his fingers, and two robed figures appeared out of nowhere. They took Yami's arms and held them behind his back.

"No, Yami!" shouted Tea.

"Wait!" shouted Joey. "You can't kill Yami without killing Yugi too, and Yugi wasn't part of de deal." Malik sneered.

"Oh, trust me, that problem is going to be taken care of," he said. Yami was taken over to a huge machine.

"How did you get that thing in the Virtual World?" asked Kaiba.

"I simply got my Rare Hunter to take it in when they got Tea," said Malik. The two Rare Hunters were chaining Yami to the machine.

"Turn it on," grunted one of the Rare Hunters. The other one pulled a lever on the back of the machine. The machine revved up and whirled into life. A sharp buzzing sound could be heard and the area around the machine was filled with a light fog.

When the fog cleared, there were two bodies where Yami's once was.

"Yami?" said Yugi, dazed.

"What? Yugi, how can you be here?" said Yami.

"Well, Yugi wasn't part of the deal, so I couldn't kill him, right? But if I separated your bodies, I can kill you without hurting the shrimp," said Malik.

"No!" shouted the whole group.

"Yami, please, don't leave me," cried Tea. Yami jumped up, and ran to her.

"I will never, ever, leave you Tea," he whispered, drawing her close again. They both let a few tears fall.

"Get him," said Malik. The two Rare Hunters, walked forward to grab Yami, but Tea would not let go.

"Tea, leave me. Please. Don't put yourself in danger," said Yami.

"No, I'm not going to let them take you," she sobbed. Yami held Tea tight for a moment, and then pulled away.

"Goodbye Tea," he said, tears falling freely down his face. Tea stood still, looking lost and sad.

"Kill him, and make it quick," spat Malik.

"Malik, stop dis madness!" shouted Joey.

"Marik, if you kill him, I will personally see to it that you will never see daylight again," said Kaiba.

"Too bad. This is my destiny," said Malik.

"Malik, stop this!" said a familiar voice from a clump of trees nearby.

"Ishizu?" said Malik as she emerged.

"That's right. Stop this immediately. This is not your destiny. So leave Yami alone!" she said.

"How do you know what my destiny is? You no longer have the Millennium Necklace. I do!" he shouted. Ishizu looked shocked and looked at Yami. "Too late," said Malik, and picked up his knife. "Bind him!" he commanded, and the Rare Hunters did his bidding. Yami was tied to the tree, so he was hanging off it. "Now, I will kill him!" said Malik. He ran at Yami with the knife.

"No!" Tea screamed, and hurled herself at Malik. Malik had already almost reached Yami's heart, and Tea made his arm thrust upwards, cutting Yami along the jaw line. Yami cried out in pain, and his head hung limply for a second as Yami regained his composure. He then lifted his head up slightly, and his eyes met an astonishing sight. Tea and Malik were struggling, Tea holding the hand with the knife in it away from her.

Tea twisted Malik's wrist away from her, so that it was almost impossible for him to keep his grip on the knife. Malik dropped it, and was forced onto the ground as Tea continued to twist his wrist.

"Bitch!" he spat. Tea kept the pressure on his hand, and reached for the knife with her other hand. She picked it up, let go of Malik's hand, and held it in front of her in defence. She backed away from the stunned Malik, and stood in front of Yami, protecting him. "Give me the knife," said Malik.

"No," said Tea. "I'm not letting you kill him."

"Oh, so Gardner loves him too," said Malik. Tea blushed.

"Malik, this has gone far enough!" shouted Yugi, who had been trying to get out of the bonds from the machine. "Already Tea and Yami have been hurt. Why don't you just leave us alone?"

"Not until he is dead!" shouted Malik.

"Wait! Malik, you only want the Pharaoh's powers, right?" said Tea. Malik nodded. "Well, I'm sure you can get something from which you can get the Pharaoh's powers without killing Yami," she said.

"But it's easier just to kill him!" said Malik, and began to walk forward.

"Malik, one more step and... and I'll stab you!" yelled Tea. Malik stopped and laughed.

"Do you think I'm scared of you?" he said. Tea held the knife in front of her. Malik continued to walk towards Tea and Yami.

"Tea, please. I made a deal with him. He would release you from the Shadow Realm if he could kill me after. I did this all for you. Please, Tea. Don't make my sacrifice be in vain," said Yami.

"Yami, no! I'm not leaving you to die," said Tea. Malik took this short lapse in her concentration to his advantage. He grabbed her arm, and took the knife back. Holding it against Tea's neck, he started laughing.

"You're going to go over to the rest of the group, and you're not going to come back," he muttered in her ear. Tea screamed. Malik grabbed onto her. Tea started squirming, trying to release herself from Malik's grip.

"Let go of me!" she shouted.

"Not a chance," said Malik. "Now, when I take you over to Mr. CEO over there, you're going to stay there, unless you want Yami to die."

"You're going to kill him anyway," said Tea, struggling against Malik.

"OK, if you stop fighting, I won't kill him," he sighed. Tea stopped her struggle.

"Really?" she asked. Malik tossed her aside, and she crashed into Kaiba and Duke, sending all three of them flying into Joey, Bakura and Mai. He threw the knife aside as well.

"Now, Pharaoh, I shall keep my word. You shall not die. But, you will be too weak to move," said Malik. Yami was already too weak to lift his head. Malik forced Yami to look at him. "Goodbye, Bel um Fal."

Malik took his Rod again. He held it up, and Yami's head rolled limply onto his shoulder.

"No, Yami!" shouted Tea. She and Yugi ran forward to help him.

"Don't move, girl, or I will kill him," snapped Malik. Tea fell silent. "He is not dead. Just too weak to do anything. And now, I have the ultimate power!" shouted Malik. A gold light began to emit from his Rod.

"No!" shouted Ishizu. "This is not how it's meant to be!"

"Don't tell what it's meant to be like, Ishizu! I know, I have the Millennium Necklace, and I now have the power of the Pharaoh! All I need now is the last two Egyptian God cards, and the Millennium items!" shouted Malik. He reached into Yami's pocket, took his deck, and removed Slypher the Sky Dragon. "Now, Seto Kaiba. I believe you hold a piece of the Puzzle. Your Obelisk the Tormenter. Now, I shall take it!"

"Not a chance. Obelisk is mine!" said Kaiba, reaching into his pocket and grabbing his deck. Malik tutted.

"Kaiba, it seems you have underestimated the power of my Millennium Rod," he chuckled. He lifted his Rod, and Kaiba was immediately pinned to the nearest solid object, a tree. His arms were flung out to either side of him, and his hands were forced open. His deck fluttered to the ground. Malik bent down and picked up the last Egyptian God card.

"There is only one more piece to the puzzle. Excuse the pun," said Malik. "I need the Millennium items now." He removed the Puzzle from around Yami's neck. "Rare Hunters, grab Ryou and Yugi!" he shouted. The Rare Hunters did his bidding, holding Ryou and Yugi's arms behind their backs. Malik took Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, and Ryou's Millennium Ring and Eye.

"OK, I have 5 of the Millennium items. The only 2 left belong to Shadi. Arkana?" said Malik. One of the Rare Hunters stepped forward.

"Yes, your greatness," said Arkana in a high pitched voice.

"What is the update on Shadi's position?" asked Malik.

"Millennium item less," smiled Arkana, reaching into his pocket. He revealed the Millennium Scales and the Millennium Key. Malik smiled.

"The final key to the Pharaoh's power. Combine the strength of the Pharaoh with all of the Egyptian god cards and the Millennium items. Then you gain ultimate power," said Malik and he took the two final Millennium items.

* * *

**Lu:** That's it for now! Review! I know you hate me for leaving it at a cliffie, but then again, you all hate me anyway so it doesn't matter.

**Yami Lu:** Malik's so evil, Malik's so evil!

**Lu:** Yeah he is. I actually read the manga for episodes 90-92 (a.k.a. the Mind Game episodes), and they changed the plot completely for the anime. Mai doesn't forget Joey. But Joey does save her! - Yay! Anyway, review!


	25. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Hello once again! Major update: I have gone back over all the chapters, added/ deleted bits, rewritten parts, put songs in at the beginning of some chapters (bit like songfics, but different. The song is at the beginning of the chapter), and but in bold, italics, and underlines (Thanks kikoken). Basically given the whole story a complete makeover.

**Yami Lu: **I can't believe it, it actually looks presentable!

**Lu: **Yup!Now, here is the long awaited next chapter. I'm gonna start calling Kaiba, Seto. Warning: complete and utter plot twist here, and a bit of each couple.

* * *

**Chapter 25 – Betrayal**

"The final key to the Pharaoh's power. Combine the strength of the Pharaoh with all of the Egyptian god cards and the Millennium items. Then you gain ultimate power," said Malik and he took the two final Millennium items.

And nothing happened.

"What!" he screeched. "I should now be the most powerful being on Earth!" He grabbed hold of Arkana's collar, and lifted him off the ground in rage. "Are you sure that these are Shadi's Millennium items?"

"Yes, master," whimpered Arkana. "I took them myself from his house in Egypt."

"Well then why aren't they working?" Malik yelled. "One of the items or cards must be a fake!" He released Arkana, who was unable to regain his footing in time, and fell to the ground. Scrambling up onto his knees, Arkana knelt humbly in front to Malik. Malik disregarded him.

"Millennium items, please show me where the final one of you can be found," recited Malik. The Millennium Ring was quick to react - several of its arms shot upwards and pointed at one of the members of their party...

"Ishizu?" exclaimed Tea in disbelief. _'How could Ishizu be holding a Millennium item? She gave her necklace to Yugi...'_

"Yes," hissed Ishizu, in a voice quite unlike the sweet, caring, mystical voice they were used to. This voice was full of malice and venom. "How easy it was to fool you all. How trusting you are. I simply had to pin all the bad things that were happening on my brother's Yami, and you all believed me." **_A/N: I'm so evil to change the plot halfway through, but later on it got too repetitive, so I changed the plot._**

The realisation of what was going on was slowly sinking in. Mai and Tea stared at her with their mouths open slightly. Joey started blinking hard, not believing what he was seeing. Duke and Seto stared blankly at her, trying to process the information. Yugi and Ryou were trembling out of shock. And Yami's head shot up, and he glared at her with such a look of disgust and mistrust that everyone could feel his rage.

"Sister?" asked a timid and raspy voice. Everyone looked at Marik, who had managed to break free of his Yami's control upon hearing this revelation.

"_I_ was the one who caused the Egyptian God card attack Odion and Joey. _I_ was the one making your Yami do the things he does," sneered Ishizu, appearing much taller and more imposing than anyone had ever thought possible.

"But... if that necklace is a fake... then how did it show me the future... of Tea being hurt?" croaked Yami accusingly.

"It is as simple as replacing it while you sleep. You men are such deep sleepers," cackled Ishizu. She then launched into a stream of raucous laughter that could have matched that of Bakura and Malik.

"How can you betray us like that?" demanded Mai. "We trusted you, and you comforted us. How can you throw that all away like it doesn't matter?"

"The question is, how could I throw away what I was before that?" Ishizu replied.

"Sister, how long have you been like this? I was always the rebellious one," whispered Marik. "I thought you were always with me to keep me in line."

"When I got that taste of the outside world, I reacted the same as you did. I didn't want to go back in. But I did, and I became sour. Then your Yami, Malik, was created, and I bonded with him. It was easy to convince him to help me. So, he guided you throughout your quest for world domination. Then, at the first opportunity, I took Odion out, so Malik could not be contained. Therefore it was easier for him to carry out my commands.

Losing the finals was a small glitch in the plan, because he was only supposed to lose, but not let you break free. During this whole tournament he has been following my orders. But now, with all the Millennium items and God cards in one place, I can throw him aside and claim what is rightfully mine!"

There was a stunned silence after this speech. It was all falling into place for the friends. Ishizu had always been about 10 steps ahead of them, carefully planning what happened, and managing to conceal her real objectives.

"So... this is the path you've chosen..." said Yami. It wasn't a question, more like a statement. Everyone fell silent again. Ishizu glared around at them, as if daring them to challenge her. After finding none of them objecting openly, she turned to her brother, whose head was buried in his hands.

_'I don't understand... my sister... the one sane thing in my life... evil?'_

"Marik, give me the items," urged Ishizu in a gentle voice. But her voice, like a fluffy silver cloud, had a black lining of sinister intentions. Marik shrunk back. The one thing he had always had faith in, apart from Odion, was his sister, but now his confidence in his sister was shaken, and he was lost.

"No," he said in a husky voice. "You can't have them. Malik can't have them. They belong to their rightful owners. So back off!"

No one had ever seen Marik act like that to his sister. But Marik was feeling let down by Ishizu, and therefore took it out on her.

There was a large beeping noise, and the world around them flickered. Kaiba sunk to the ground, released from the prison of Malik's Millennium Rod. Then their surrounding disappeared, and they lost consciousness as the stimulation ended.

The gang next awoke in the pod room, and they jumped up immediately. The other people who had not been witness to the scene in the clearing of the forest stared at them as they glanced around frantically for any sign of danger.

Yami could still barely lift his head, let alone get up. But suddenly, he felt some gently take his arms and put it around their shoulders. They then wrapped their own arm around his waist to support him. He could barely lift his head to see their face. He started down at their feet.

They were wearing platform shoes with knee-high socks. He moved his head up a little further, and saw a micro-mini skirt. Even further up, he found a yellow sleeveless top reading 'SPIRIT'. By then he had realised who it was, and was blushing heavily. He lifted his head up to meet a pair of sapphire blue eyes.

"Thank you Tea," he said nervously. She beamed at him. A shout from the centre of the room drew their attention away from each other, and to a very angry Joey.

"What did you think you were doin' trickin' us like dat!" he yelled furiously at Ishizu. Mai had her arms wrapped around his waist to restrain him.

"Calm down Joey," she muttered soothingly into his ear. Joey stopped screaming at Ishizu and relaxed in Mai's grip. She then let her arms drop to her sides, and Joey took this chance to take a lunge at Ishizu. Mai immediately hooked her arms around his shoulders, so it was impossible for him to get any closer.

"Don't think I wasn't expecting that, Joseph Wheeler," she whispered in his ear. He shivered slightly. She sounded so... seductive. He stopped struggling, and spun around to face her. Mai took this opportunity to fulfil her dare, and she pecked him on the lips. She let go of him again, and he didn't try to attack Ishizu. But someone else did.

"Where's Serenity?" growled Seto, and he leapt at Ishizu. She mock-yawned and tapped her foot. Duke grabbed Seto by the back of the collar to stop him trying to hurt her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you," taunted Ishizu. Seto growled again and tried in vain to break free of Duke's grip, but Duke had now been joined by Ryou and Yugi. Even now, with three people holding him back, Seto's anger was barely being contained.

"What happened to Joey's sister?" snarled Seto. Ishizu clicked her fingers, and several people emerged from the doorway.

Three of them were people in robes - Malik's Rare Hunters. The other three were Tristan, Serenity and Mokuba, gagged and bound.

"Mokuba! Serenity!" shouted Seto, and ran to them. Yugi, Ryou and Duke let him go, and Duke followed Seto in the direction of Serenity.

"Serenity! Are you OK?" questioned Joey, coming up behind Seto. Serenity's eyes told the story - no, she wasn't OK. Seto growled again, and punched the guy holding her. The Rare Hunter grunted and released Serenity. She wasn't quite ready for that, and she stumbled a little. Seto caught her, and steadied her. Joey worked on the ropes that fastened her wrists together. Duke untied the scarf the Rare Hunters had used to silence her. The two other Rare Hunters who were holding Mokuba and Tristan let go of them and charged at Joey, Seto and Duke.

"Mind Crush!" yelled Yami, who had limped over with the help of Tea. But, him not having his Millennium item and the power of the Pharaoh meant that it had no effect. The Rare Hunters sent Joey and Seto flying, and knocked Duke over. **_A/N: Remember that there was only two of them._**

Mai caught Joey, and they both fell to the floor, Joey on top of Mai. Serenity, sprinting as fast as she could, managed to catch Seto. Blushes spread across all of their faces when they realised the positions they were in.

"Err..."

Another angry cry came from the centre of the room. Yugi and Ryou were taking out the Rare Hunters. It was kinda weird watching little Yugi take on someone that was at least twice his size, but he somehow managed to take the Rare Hunter by surprise and knocked him out with a simple blow over the head. Ryou was just as surprising, breaking his nose and swiping him over the head.

Mokuba and Tristan were soon freed by the gang, and they were all quick to leave the building. Marik trailed along, not wanting to be with his sister, but not wanting to be alone either. He felt guilty for getting them into this mess in the first place, because it was his Yami and his sister who had caused everything in the last two tournaments.

"Hey, guys," said a quiet voice. Everyone turned around to face Marik. He held out the Millennium items that belonged to the people in front of him. Yugi and Yami took the two puzzles, and Ryou took the Millennium Ring and Eye. A slight flicker of the eyes showed the Bakura was watching the two items belonging to Shadi, but Marik drew his hands back.

"What are you going to do with Shadi's Millennium items?" asked Yugi. Marik shrugged.

"I suppose I'll send them to him, or go and give them to him personally after the tournament," he replied. Yami, still being supported by Tea, nodded.

"That would be the best," he stated. "It means they can't be intercepted."

"Or stolen," added Joey.

"I think that was what he was implying, knucklehead," said Mai, hitting Joey playfully over the head. He faked pain, but laughed nonetheless. Despite the seriousness of the situation, they all still managed to laugh.

"Yugi, I'm sorry that the Millennium Necklace is in my sister's hands," said Marik, looking at the floor. Yugi smiled and shook his head.

"It's not your fault, Marik," he said. "We can still stop Ishizu if we all work together." Marik looked up doubtfully.

"If she has managed to deceive us as easily as she did, I'm sure it will not be very easy to prevent her from taking over the world," he reasoned. Joey shrugged.

"Doesn't mean Yuge and Yami here can't stop her. How many times have dey stopped you and your Yami from your plans?"

"Lots of times," said Tea quickly, before anyone could point out that the major scheme hadn't been stopped.

"Well, we better get some kind of rest. It would be great if we could all get our qualification cards tomorrow," said Seto, yawning slightly. Everyone agreed.

* * *

**Lu:** Mwhahaha! I'm so evil! But I think Marik as a kid was so cute, and I reckoned that he should be good in this story. So, I blamed it all on Malik and Ishizu. Why not? At least it's original. Not brilliant, but original.

**Yami Lu:** It's not original. I bet you I can think of at lest three other fics where Ishizu is evil. Umm… err…

**Lu:** See! If anyone has seen one, can you please tell me? I'd like to see how different people make her react. Anyway, I'm going to ask all you reviewers to do me a favour. Can you tell me if you are a guy or a gal? I'm a girl, and I was wondering what the majority of Yu-Gi-Oh! romance readers were like me. Thankies! Review!


	26. Revision still in process

**Lu:** Well, it's time yet again for another chapter of the New Tournament. I've decided on something. Whoever is the 200th reviewer gets the next chapter dedicated to them, as long as they are a regular reviewer. I don't really want to dedicate a chapter to someone who has only reviewed once. So if you are a regular reviewer, try to be 200th!

**Yami Lu:** This is just a cheap way of getting more reviews, isn't it?

**Lu:** Yup, but anyway. On Nickelodeon, they've finally reached the Semi-Finals! Joey's in the middle of the duel with Marik! It's so cool! Anyway, reviewers:

**Lu:** And here's for the next chapter! cheers Here we go!

* * *

The gang sat having breakfast in a small cafe the next morning. Yami, who had never seen a lot of the technology since he had only come out of the Puzzle for duels, was fascinated by all of the equipment.

"Wow, what's this?" he asked Tea, pointing to the jukebox in the cafe. Tea laughed, and got up, taking a coin from her pocket.

"I'll show you," she said, and slotted a coin into the machine. It lit up, and Tea chose a dance song. She offered Yami her hand, which he took sheepishly. The song started. There weren't many words to the song, but the beat was very light and jazzy.

"What are you doing, Tea?" questioned Yami nervously. Tea wrapped her arms around his neck, making his heart jump into his throat.

"Relax," she advised quietly. He did as she said, and found himself melting into her arms. She led him around the dance floor until the song ended, and she then walked back to the others. Yami followed doggedly, his face flushed, but not because of the dance.

Back at the table, Joey and Tristan were sniggering as they watched the couple dance. Yugi, Mai and Serenity were smiling, as they knew that Yami and Tea liked each other.

"And that's what a juke box does," laughed Tea, tugging Yami down beside her. Yami nodded limply, smiling feebly. All of the technology was a bit overwhelming for him, and the fact that he had found feelings for Tea just made him all the more confused.

"The stimulation begins in 10 minutes, so we better go," announced Seto, standing up. Joey, Yugi, Yami, Duke, Ryou and Mai followed suit. Seto kissed Serenity on the cheek hurriedly before walking away. Yami lingered in the cafe for a couple of seconds, trying to think of something meaningful to say to Tea. But he found his mouth dry, so he quickly brushed his lips against her cheek, blushing furiously. He then scurried off after the rest of the duelling group.

Tea touched her cheek, her mouth hanging open in shock. _'Did Yami just kiss me?'_ she thought, in a daze. She felt heat creeping into her cheeks. Tristan sniggered, but she ignored him.

-

Yami caught up with the rest of the group. Joey held up his hand for a high-five, but Yami simply looked confused.

"Hello? High-five!" said Joey, waving his hand in front of Yami's face. When Yami still looked lost, Joey demonstrated with Yugi. Then he repeated the action with Mai. Finally, he raised his hand again in front of Yami. Yami, feeling rather stupid, slapped Joey's hand slowly. Joey smiled.

"Dat's my man," he exclaimed, clapping Yami on the back. "Out of interest, you like Tea, right?"

"Wh-what?" stammered Yami, feeling his cheeks heat up again. "No! I d-don't like her like th-that!"

"Why did you just dance with her, and, more important, kiss her on the cheek?" queried Mai, folding her arms. Yami gulped, his cheeks burning at the memory of the kiss. He knew his cover was blown, not that there was much cover in the first place.

"Fine... I.. umm... I like Tea," he admitted in defeat. Joey smiled knowingly.

"De hardest part is admittin' it to yourself," he assured Yami. "Trust me, I know. I would never have admitted to myself or anyone else that I liked Mai." Seto cleared his throat impatiently.

"Can we please speed this up a little? The stimulation begins in 5 minutes," he grunted. They nodded boredly, and trudged along in silence.

They arrived just as Mokuba was announcing the beginning of a new virtual day. They all took their seats, this time next to Malik. Joey was glaring icily at Ishizu, as was Seto. Mokuba flicked the switch, and their minds were immediately transported to the virtual world.

-

Yami's eyes opened slowly. Above him was a dazzling blue sky blotched with dark rain clouds. There were low-hanging branches invading the edges of his vision. He raised himself onto his elbows, shaking his head slightly to clear his mind. Glancing around, he saw Joey, Seto and Mai waking up lazily. He couldn't see anyone else in the group.

"Where's Yugi and the others?" he questioned. The other three, who were still half-asleep, shrugged. Yami sighed. He was never going to get a straight answer out of them while they were still getting over the effects of the journey into the virtual world. He sat up, and a memory triggered in his mind. This clearing was the one they left yesterday, where they had discovered Ishizu's terrible secret.

"Oh man, I should probably cut down on de food before we come in," groaned Joey, clutching his stomach. Mai sweatdropped.

"We better find the others," suggested Yami. All three nodded, standing up on still-weak knees. Yami looked around impatiently, and noticed the three Egyptian God cards on the ground. They were slightly damp, as the virtual dew had caressed every surface in the clearing. Yami bent down and picked up the cards, wiping the water from the laminated cardboard. He approached Seto, and handed him Obelisk the Tormentor.

"Thank you Yugi," said Kaiba appreciatively.

"I am not Yugi. I am Yugi's darker half, and I am mainly called Yami. I used to reside in the Millennium Puzzle, only coming out to duel, until yesterday when Marik separated our souls into different bodies," explained Yami.

"I suppose I don't have any choice but to believe you, do I Yugi?" sighed Seto. "The Millennium items... they must be real..."

"Took ya long enough, Kaiba," smirked Joey. Seto threw a half-hearted punch at Joey, which was easily dodged.

"I never thought I'd see Seto Kaiba and Joey Wheeler sparring," laughed Mai. Yami was no longer paying attention. He was heading out of the forest, with the hope of finding his hikari.

/Yami, where are you/ said a voice, breaking through Yami's thoughts. He scanned the area for the source of the noise. He turned back to the others, but Joey and Seto were still play-fighting, and Mai was still watching them.

/Yami, you there/ questioned the voice. This time Yami recognised it.

Yugi?he replied, opening the mind link fully. We can still mind link?

/Yes, it seems. Me, Duke and Ryou turned up here and wondered where you guys were, so I decided to try and open the mind link. Are the others with you/

Yes,sighed Yami. Joey and Kaiba are mucking around and Mai's watching. Where are you guys?

/We're in the middle of the desert. Where are you/

We're in the clearing from yesterday,explained Yami. We'll come and find you. With that, he closed the mind link, and turned to the other three.

"I know where the others are. Let's go find them," he said. Joey, Seto and Mai nodded, and waited for Yami to lead the way. He did so, striding out of the trees confidently. They plunged straight into the vast sea of sand, where a sandstorm had been brewing. Gales carrying brittle grains of sand pelted the companions as they continued to force their way through the desert.

"We've gotta turn back!" yelled Joey above the roar of the storm. Yami ignored him, his head bent against the force of the wind.

"Ahh!" squealed Mai, as she tripped over. Joey caught her, and steadied her. He let go of her, but she stumbled again, so he took her arm and slung it around his shoulder.

"Yami, we can't keep on doing dis!" shouted Joey. "I don't think dat Mai can stand up on her own, and I don't think dat we're any closer to finding dem! We've gotta turn back!"

Yami glanced back despairingly. Joey seemed to be having a coughing fit, and Mai was hanging limply off his neck. Seto wasn't faring much better, as his trench coat was billowing out behind him and holding him back. Yami hung his head in defeat. He wanted to find Yugi, but it was not worth hurting his friends for. He spun around, his shoulders heavy.

I'm sorry hikari,he thought through the mind link. We can't find you.

/That's OK Yami, we'll come and find you. Meet you in the clearing/ said Yugi cheerfully. Yami sighed as he closed the mind link. In the last two days, he had been separated from his hikari, found strong feelings for Tea and had people attempt to kill him numerous times.

"Wait," grunted Seto. "We could fly on a Duel Monster!"

"Good idea," yelled Joey. "I summon de Red Eyes Black Dragon!" The dragon appeared in front of them. Joey picked Mai up, and placed her at the base of the dragon's neck. He jumped on behind her, and gestured for the other two to sit further down on the dragon's back. They did so, and the Red Eyes took off. Joey kept his arms tight around Mai to help her keep balance.

Yami's eyes scanned the landscape below, searching for any sign of Yugi, Ryou or Duke. Suddenly, he saw a bright glimmer from the center of the sandstorm. It lasted for a few seconds before fading again.

"Down there!" he shouted, pointing to the area where the light came from. The Red Eyes began to dive, but another monster burst out from the depth of the storm - the Curse of Dragon, carrying Yugi, Duke and Ryou. They waved cheerfully.

"Hey guys!" greeted Joey.

"We should find the next map piece!" yelled Duke. Everyone agreed. The two dragons hovered for a while, as Duke searched for the piece they found yesterday. He finally found it in his pocket. The X was right in the middle of an ocean.

"We'll summon another dragon, and fly to it from there," suggested Seto. Nobody had any objections, so Seto summoned his Blue Eyes. It was difficult work for Yami and Seto to move from the Red Eyes to the Blue Eyes. The two dragons would continually perform complicated flips and turns, always trying to do better than their opponents last. This was not good for Yami, Seto, Joey or Mai because it was hard to keep a hold on the dragon when they flipped over. Finally, when Seto and Yami had managed to scramble onto the Blue Eyes, the dragons began to soar and glide through the air.

After an hour of tumbling and stomach-turning dives, the dragons hovered above the approximate position of the next map. The water sparkled and glittered in the sun, and it looked very inviting. Joey took the invitation, plunging straight into the water. Unfortunately for him, the water had played a trick on him, and was actually as cold as an ice cube. He resurfaced, teeth chattering.

"Joey, you knucklehead, get your idiotic butt back here before it freezes off," ordered Mai. She held out her hand, which Joey took. His hand was as cold as a wooden floor on a clod morning. She tugged him up in front of her.

"Now that Wheeler's clarified that the water's cold, we can think about this logically," said Kaiba before he could stop himself. Joey scowled, but was too numb to move. Mai wrapped her arms around him to help him warm up again.

"We should get another Duel Monster to dive down for it!" suggested Yugi. Joey looked like an idea had hit him.

"I summon de Legendary Fisherman!" he yelled, holding the card high up above his head. The man riding a shark appeared in the water.

"Go and find de map piece!" commanded Joey. The Legendary Fisherman dove down into the deep. The gang waited several minutes with baited breath. Suddenly, the shark reamerged, and on the end of the man's spear sat the map.

"Yes!" cheered Mai, giving Joey a hug. Joey looked pleased with himself, and as soon as he removed the map, the Legendary Fisherman disappeared. The other dragons swooped closer, and everyone crowded around to look over Joey's shoulder. There was no X on this map, instead, a little drawing of a card was on the border of a forest.

"It's the last map," announced Seto. "That's why it was so difficult to find. The next thing we find will be the qualification cards. So we better start thinking about what to do if there aren't enough for all of us. Chances are that other duellists have already found them. So we've got to decide who gets the cards if there aren't enough for all of us."

"I don't mind not going in the finals," said Duke and Ryou simultaneously.

"There are going to be a lot of tough duellists in the finals, and I'm not a brilliant duellist," said Duke.

"And my chances of winning are slim to none," reasoned Ryou. "You guys are much better duellists, you take the cards."

"What about you two?" asked Seto, directing the question at Yami and Yugi. "Technically only one of you should be in the tournament, and both of you can definitely not be in the finals. So which one of you will take the card?" Yugi and Yami glanced at each other. Yami opened his mouth to offer it to Yugi, but Yugi was faster.

"Yami, you take it. You're the King of Games out of the two of us, and you're the one who has won all of the tournaments. So you take it," he demanded. Yami thought about it, opened his mouth to argue, but then thought better of it. He nodded instead.

"Thank you Yugi," he said, smiling.

"How many do we need then?" questioned Mai. Seto, without any hesitation, came up with 4.

"And if dere isn't enough den?" asked Joey.

"We'll duel whoever has them, and win them off them," answered Seto. Everyone nodded. It seemed like a fair enough agreement. The dragons began to flap their wings again, and they took off to find the qualification cards.

* * *

**Lu:** That's it for today. I didn't really like this chapter, and I made it up. I only liked the beginning. Anyway, next chapter will be the end of the qualification rounds. I promise. It was my b'day on the weekend, so as a b'day present, review!


	27. Revision still in process

**Lu: **It's me again! Yes, I know I haven't updated in ages, but I ran out of steam with this chapter. Not enough romance, y'know? Anyway, here's the next chapter. And it has a duel in it! An proper duel, in which I actually researched and got the life points and attack points right! Be proud of me! DayDreamerz, this chapter's for you!

* * *

The Red-Eyes dove sharply, while Mai held onto Joey for dear life. Despite the heart-stopping thrill of the dive, she shrieked with laughter, burying her face into Joey's shoulder. The dragon halted seconds before it collided with the ground. It flapped its wings slower and slower until the tips of its claws were touching the dirt, and then it fell heavily onto its talons. Joey jumped off and helped Mai down. She was still giggling slightly, and she collapsed into his arms. Around them, the rest of the group were dismounting Curse of Dragon and Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Well, here we are," said Duke. "I don't see any qualification cards."

"They're hidden around her. Anyone who still needs cards can look," explained Seto, and everybody nodded. Joey and Mai took the left hand border of trees, Seto took the right hand border, Yami and Yugi took the last line of trees. Duke and Ryou helped them all in turn. After two minutes, Seto let out a cry of triumph.

"I've found three cards!" he exclaimed. "There are four of us, so one of us will have to duel." Joey, Mai, Yami and Seto met in the middle of the clearing.

"I'll duel," sighed Yami. The other three opened thier mouths to protest, but Yami silenced them by holding up a hand. "I want to duel. It will be one of my first ever duels without Yugi to help, and I need to get used to it. But first I need to find somebody to duel."

"Thank you Yami," chorused Joey and Mai, while Seto nodded appreciatively. Yami smiled, and took out his deck, slotting it into his duel disk. Joey and Mai took one card each from Seto's outstretched hand. There was an intricate design on the card, consisting of snakes and vines intertwined.

"Hey Kaiba, what's with de snakes?" asked Joey, his face screwed up in concentration as he tried to figure it out. He spun the card around a couple of times. Seto sighed like his trials would never end, and took the card from Joey. He spun it upright, and handed it back. Joey noticed it them. The snakes, which were a deep crimson, seemed to be joined at the tail. The vines were arranged so that they made a skull around the snakes. Joey glanced at Mai's and Seto's cards, which were the same.

"It's a Hydra," explained Seto. "A mythological 5 headed snake, that was killed by Hercules. If the heads were cut off, two more would replace it. The venom of the Hydra is poisonous. The middle head was said to be immortal, which is why the middle head on here is slightly darker than the others. I had it made especially for this tournament. It's a monster card, level 4 with 2000 attack and defence."

"That's strong," commented Mai. "Does it have any special abilities that may disadvantage the duellist?"

"No, I thought anyone who managed to get to the finals deserves to have a strong monster. It's name is Skull Hydra, by the way," Seto informed them. Yami was waiting patiently for them to finish their conversation so he could find someone to duel.

As the chattering subsided, Yami said, "We could fly on the dragons again. That way we can see any other duellists. But Kaiba, why should they duel me if they don't have anything in it for them?"

"They have to. It is against the rules of the tournament to turn down a duel. Mokuba is keeping a very close eye on this, so any duellist that turns down a duel will have to answer to him," replied Seto.

"I see. So what if someone challenges one of you?"

"Den we'll crush 'em!" shouted Joey. "So let's go!" Everyone else nodded in agreement. They jumped on the dragons and took off. Seven sets of eyes scanned the forests below, looking for a duellist who could possibly have a qualification card.

"I can see someone!" yelled Yugi. "Down there! At the edge of the trees! It looks like Weevil!" The dragons dove down towards the green-haired duellist. Landing on the ground next to Weevil, the gang jumped off of the dragons. Yami ran up to Weevil.

"Weevil, do you have a qualification card?" asked Yami. Weevil nodded, smirking. "In that case, I challenge you to a duel, Weevil," stated Yami.

"I don't have to accept," sneered Weevil.

"I'm afraid you do," boomed a voice from no where. It reverberated about the virtual world, as if it were the voice of god. "As comissioner of the tournament, I, Mokuba Kaiba, will be forced to disqualify you if you do not accept Yami's duel, Weevil."

"That was quick," whispered Ryou. The last echoing syllables of Mokuba's announcement disappeared from the land.

"Fine, I'll accept your duel, but only on one condition," sighed Weevil.

"What's that?" asked Yami.

"That if I win, I get to take the rarest card from your deck, like in the last tournament. Then I'll have an Egyptian God card, and I'll be unstoppable!"

"I agree to your conditions, Weevil. Let's duel!" The two duellists drew their first cards. Yami surveyed his hand.

_'Gemini Elf, Mystical Elf, Yami, Raigeki and Trap Hole. A very good opening hand if I do say so myself,'_ thought Yami. He signaled to Weevil that he could go first.

"I summon Girochin Kuwagata in attack mode!" announced Weevil. A bug with huge pincers on its face appeared on the field, standing upright on its two lower legs. "With an attack of 1700 and a defense of 1500, this bug will take out almost anything that stands in its way. I also play the field magic card, Forest, which raises the attack and defense of all insect monsters by 200 points, boosting my Girochin's attack points to 1900. I'll finish my turn by placing this card face down."

"I draw," declared Yami. He drew a trap card, Widespread Ruin. "I summon Gemini Elf in attack mode, and use the field magic card Yami to increase its attack points to 2100! This also knocks off your field magic card, bringing your Girochin's attack point back down to 1700. I also place these two cads face down before attacking your monster!" The twin elves appeared on the field, as did the black and purple darkness produced by the Yami card. Two face down cards also appeared. The elves conjured up a glowing white ball, and threw it at the bug simultaniously. Girochin Kuwagata was destroyed instantly, and Weevil's life points dropped to 7600. "Your turn, Weevil."

"Yes," said Weevil venomously, drawing his card. "I summon Jirai Gumo in attack mode!" A huge, gross spider-like monster appeared on the field, making a hissing sound.

"Oh no you don't!" smirked Yami. "I activate my trap card, Trap Hole. This card destroys your monster." A large hole appeared in the ground below Jirai Gumo's eight feet, and the spider fell in. It writhed in pain for a couple of seconds, before disappearing completely, along with the hole. Weevil looked distraught, but recovered quickly.

"I play these two cards face down before ending my turn," he stated. Yami began his turn by drawing a card, which turned out to be Opticlops, a strong fiend-type monster with 1800 attack and 1700 defence.

"I summon Opticlops in attack mode!" announced Yami, placing the monster on his Duel Disk. A monster with long arms and legs, a horn on its head and a reddish tinge to its skin appeared.

"I activate Windstorm of Etaqua, which switches the position of both of your monsters on the field to defense. You cannot attack this turn," announced Weevil.

"In that case, I shall end my turn," sighed Yami. Weevil drew a card.

"I summon Giant Flea in defense mode, and place another card face down," said Weevil. "That will end my turn."

"My turn," said Yami, drawing a card. "I play Heavy Storm magic card, which destroys all of your face down cards, although mine are destroyed too. I also play Raigeki, which destroys your Giant Flea. I have left you defenseless Weevil. I switch my two monsters into attack mode. Gemini Elf, Opticlops, attack his life points directly!" The elves shot their glowing ball of magic straight at Weevil, while the Opticlops lumbered forward and punched Weevil clumsily. Despite of the lazy punch, Weevil's life points took a severe drop, all the way down to 3500. Weevil flinced, muttering all manner of curses and swear words under his breath. "And with that, I end my turn."

"Finally," muttered Weevil, after drawing a card. "I use Monster Reborn to bring back my Jirai Gumo, and then I summon Arsenal Bug. Jirai Gumo, attack his Gemini Elf. There is a slight drawback to the Jirai Gumo card. I have to flip a coin, and if I call wrong, then my life points are halved before attacking. I call heads!" Weevil took a coin from his pockets, and flicked it into the air. The coin flipped over, while the onlookers held their breath. It finally landed on tails.

"Damn," swore Weevil, and then recovered. His life points were cut to 1750. "Oh well, I still destroy your Gemini Elf, which brings your life points down to 7900. I will end my turn now."

_'This doesn't look good,'_ thought Yami doubtfully. He drew a card to start his turn.

"I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards," said Yami, taking the two cards that his Duel Disk had ejected at his words. His face lit up in triumph as he saw the two cards. "First of all, I play this magic card, Tremendous Fire. I must first reduce my life points by 500, but I get to reduce your life points by 1000. Weevil you have put up a strong fight, and without cheating for once, but the duel ends here. I attach this magic card to my Opticlops. This Axe of Despair equip card increases my monsters attack points by 1000, making it 1000 points stronger than your Arsenal Bug. And since you only have 750 life points, I believe that our duel is about to end. Opticlops, attack his Arsenal Bug." Opticlops' lengthy arms raised, as the blade on the axe rotated until it was straight above the neck. The axe swung down, and then the bug disappeared.

"Yeah, go Yuge!" yelled Joey.

"I believe you owe me a qualification card, Weevil," smirked Yami, holding out his hand for a hand shake. Weevil hit the hand away, and started to walk away. Seto cleared his throat loudly.

"Give him his qualification card, Weevil, or you will be disqualified from the tournament," he threatened. Weevil glanced at Seto, and then threw the card over his shoulder before running into the forest. The card fluttered downward, before Yami caught it.

"Is this the card?" Yami asked Seto, showing the card to him.

"Yes, that's the one. Congratulations Yami, you mare now officially a finalist of the Conflict Duel tournament," said Seto.

"Conflict Duel tournament?" questioned Mai.

"Mokuba and I decided on the name this morning. Most of the good names were already copyrighted to other companies, so we just had to sit there and brainstorm all night."

"Well, we've just got to avoid other duellists until the end of the simulation. Then we'll be able to start preparing for the finals," said Yami, pocketing the Skull Hydra card.

"And that is in approximately 10 seconds," said Seto, looking at his watch. A loud beep filled the ears of everyone in the virtual world. As the ten seconds came to a close, the world around them flickered, and they all fell unconscious.

* * *

**Lu:** Well, what do you think? I changed the life points to 8000, 'cause 4000 just isn't enough. I'm 82.1 complete in my Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament 2004 game! Yay! Anyway, review y'all! Press dat little blue button! 


	28. Truth or Dare?

**Lu: **Well, I bet you all thought I was dead, huh? Well, I suppose this is it.

**Yami Lu:** What do you mean?

**Lu: **Well, after this chapter I am doing a complete revision of the fic. I have already melded the first three chapters into one, so yeah... completely revising the whole fic. If you need a list of what I'm changing, check the first revised chapter. Which _will_ be up soon. So yeah... I'm not going to do review replies this chapter, but I will do it after everything is revised. OK, after the revision is done, it may take some time for the chapters to fill up again. There will still be chapters up that will be old ones, so when I get back to 28 chapters, then it'll be perfect. Agreed?

**Yami Lu:** Agreed. Here's the next chapter of the New Tournament!

* * *

As the gang exited the pod room, Yami sighed in relief. He had been worried about Tea all the time in the virtual world, and had been immensely happy when he found her safe and sound in the pod room. In fact, he had been so overjoyed that he had flung his arms around her, holding her tightly. Once he had realised what he was doing, he pulled away quickly, clearing his throat loudly. Now, the gang stood outside, and Yami was carefully avoiding Tea's eyes.

"It's seven o'clock. Shall we get some dinner?" suggested Yugi, quickly glancing at his digital watch.

"Yeah!" chanted Tristan and Joey. Led by Joey, the gang soon found their way to the same cafe that they had had breakfast in that morning. They settled down in the booth, already thinking about the meal ahead. All except Yami, that is. He had somehow ended up next to Tea, and she was sitting too close for comfort, so that everyone could fit in the same booth.

By the time everyone had decided what they wanted to eat, the cafe was buzzing with families and couples. Some of the other duellists were also seated nearby, including Mako Tsunami, Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood.

"Hey Raptor, will we see ya at da finals?" asked Joey, leaning back over his seat. Rex nodded and gave him the thumbs up, grinning like a madman.

"And you, Mako?" queried Mai, following Joey's example and twisting back to face him. Mako also nodded, smiling broadly.

"What about you two?" questioned Mako. He was wearing a blue shirt, his usual ripped shorts and headband, and there wasn't a fishing tool in sight.

"You betta believe it!" answered Joey. The couple turned back to the rest of the gang. "Looks like we've got company in the finals, huh, Yami?"

"Yeah..." replied Yami. However, neither his reply nor his mind was really fully on the topic. Tea's knee was touching his own, and he found it incredibly distracting. He gulped slightly, and tried to ignore the tingly feeling running up and down his leg. His brain finally processed what Joey had said, and opened his mouth to reply properly, but the conversation had already moved on. He sighed, and stared at his plate.

"Yami, are you OK?" asked a kind voice. He didn't look up, for he knew who that soothing voice belonged to. A soft hand enclosed his, gently holding it. He suddenly felt like the heat had been turned up considerably, and he felt short of breath. The voice called his name again, sounding concerned.

"Just... just a little tired..." he lied. Tea put a finger under his chin and forced him to look up. He flushed more than he already was, and Ra knows what shade of red that was. Tea looked worried, deep, sea blue eyes filled with concern and sympathy. Yami could feel himself getting captured by them, drowning in them...

Fortunately, the food arrived at that moment, allowing Yami to pull away and recover. He was breathing heavily, but Tea seemed sufficiently distracted by the food, so he was safe for the moment. He stared at his hamburger, accompanied with fries and tomato ketchup, but he was sure that the empty feeling in his stomach had nothing to do with being hungry.

"So Kaiba, that's six people for the finals. Do you know who else is in them?" asked Yugi, breaking through Yami's train of thought. Seto pondered this carefully, and then swallowed his mouthful of burger.

"I can't imagine that Ishizu and Marik will put up with not getting through. So I'd put money on them being the last two finalists," he finished, and continued eating his burger. Yami pondered this. True, Ishizu may not put up with it, but Marik worked for Ishizu, and if Ishizu wanted someone else to accompany her in the finals, then someone else would accompany her in the finals. Also, Marik could not necessarily get control of Malik's body again. Yami voiced his opinion, and after some thought, everyone agreed.

"Well, who do you think might come instead of Marik?" asked Yugi. No one could answer that question. Anyone they knew was suspect to suspicion, because Ishizu had kept hidden right under their noses all that time. As everyone finished their food, Yami began to have a feeling of growing dread.

"Yami dude, are ya feelin' OK? Ya look a little outta it..." stated Joey. Tea turned to him, concerned. Yami could feel his face turning red again, as everyone's gaze turned to him.

"I'm fine," he assured them, although he was not absolutely sure himself. Joey shrugged, and turned back to his food. The rest of the gang followed suit, with the exception of Yugi and Tea, who still looked worried.

_"Yami, are you sure you're OK? You really don't look it..."_ sent Yugi. It became clear to them at that point that their mind link even had empathy. Yugi could sense that Yami wasn't feeling well, at least not in mind. He could feel Yami's embarrassment and the fact that he was anxious.

_"Really? 'Cause I don't really feel it either... I'm just so worried... What if Tea doesn't like me back? I couldn't bear to be with her again,"_ replied Yami bitterly. Yami could sense Yugi's wave of sympathy.

_"Trust me Yami, just tell her. You'll feel better, and you never know how she'll react."_ Tea seemed to realise that they were talking, and turned back to the rest of the conversation to give them some privacy, although not before giving Yami's hand a gentle squeeze. Yami blushed at this.

Soon, everyone had finished their food, and Kaiba had put the whole thing on his credit card, claiming that everyone in the tournament ate for free, and what was a couple more dollars to pay for the non-duellists?

"C'mon, let's go back to the hotel. Maybe we can play a game or something, I dunno," suggested Ryou. Nobody had any problems with that, so they left the cafe, while more people hastily took their table.

-

"I can't believe you girls talked us into this," grumbled Joey, alas the gang sat down in a circle. They were in the girls bedroom, and the girls had spent the last half hour persuading the guys to play Truth or Dare with them.

"C'mon Joey, it'll be fun!" assured Mai soothingly, seating herself next to Joey. She stroked his hair a little, and he relaxed immediately. Mai had discovered that Joey liked to be comforted by physical means rather than verbal reassurance, so she often hugged him or stroked his hair as a way of getting him to relax.

"Well, let's get this game started!" said Tea cheerfully. They all settled down comfortably. A short but heated argument followed, because nobody was eager to go first. This was settled soon by the short straw method, of which Ryou picked the short straw.

"You first Ryou! Truth or Dare?" asked Serenity. Ryou pondered for a moment.

"Truth," he answered finally.

"OK. Is there anyone in this room who you like? As in, more than a friend?" she asked. Ryou blushed heavily, but replied negatively.

"OK, Joey, truth or dare?" asked Ryou.

"Dare!" replied Joey at once. He was very secluded about his thoughts, and often hated truth. Therefore, whenever he was forced to play Truth or Dare, he chose dare.

"OK... I dare you... to... umm..." Ryou faltered. He couldn't think of anything. He was much better at asking truths.

"**SHARE A BED WITH MAI TONIGHT!**" burst in Tea excitedly. Both Joey's and Mai's faces turned bright red, but Joey nodded uncertainly.

"_Nothing's_ gonna happen though..." he said defiantly. Everyone other than the couple rolled their eyes. "Tea, truth or dare?"

"Truth," she replied cautiously. Joey knew what he wanted to ask, but would it be too cruel to make her admit in front of him?

"OK... same question that Seren asked Ryou," said Joey, settling for a compromise. Tea's face went pale and then heated up all in the space of a second. By the time her face had finished changing colour, it was the colour of a cherry.

_'**Damn you Joey!** How am I meant to answer this without him figuring it out?'_

"Umm... you see... err..." she stammered, and coughed slightly as she finished, "...yes..." Every guy in the room turned to stare at her, wondering if it was them, except Yugi, Joey and Tristan, who all glanced at each other and smiled.

"**Mai**, truth or dare?" asked Tea quickly and loudly, to distract the rest of the room from her increasingly reddening face.

"Truth," answered Mai.

"OK... Do you honestly, really, life-partner-forever love Joey?" asked Tea. She knew it was lame, but there wasn't that much to ask Mai. Mai would almost certainly twist something that she didn't want to answer, so she may as well ask something that Mai would be willing to answer. Mai glanced at Joey, smiling.

"Yes," she replied immediately, squeezing Joey's hand. "Kaiba, truth or dare?"

"Me?" asked Kaiba, jerking out of a near-trance he had been in. "Oh... truth."

"Do you really love Serenity?" she asked, knowing exactly what question Joey would thank her for later. He thought about it for a moment. Was it really love he was feeling, or just lust? He looked at Serenity, and took a deep breath.

"I do believe I do," he said quietly. Serenity's face immediately broke into a huge grin, and Joey looked relieved.

"OK, Yami, truth or dare?" asked Kaiba.

"Dare." Kaiba thought about what he could get Yami to do. Get him to purposely lose a duel? No, that would take the pride out of any duellist.

"Tell him to kiss Tea," hissed a voice in his ear. He twisted around to see Yugi sitting on his knees behind him. Yugi winked. Kaiba shrugged and nodded.

"OK, Yami, kiss Tea," said Kaiba boredly. He had not wanted to play the game in the first place, but Serenity had managed to convince him. At this request, Yami turned bright red, and looked nervously at Tea, who had also returned to her previous colour. He nodded slowly, and moved closer to Tea. Tea was starting to tremble. When Yami had come to the seat next to Tea, he faced her, and took a deep breath.

"Tea, before we do this dare, can I speak to you in private for a moment?" asked Yami. Tea looked even more nervous than he did. Yami stood up, and held out his hand, which Tea grasped as he pulled her up. They retreated to a corner.

"What is it, Yami?" asked Tea, dreading and anticipating the answer at the same time.

"Well, Tea, you see... well, I thought before this dare that I should tell you something. Something I've wanted to tell you for ages. " Yami's voice faltered, but he regathered his courage and continued on. "The thing is Tea... I'm-"

"**Time's up guys!**" yelled Duke from the circle. Tea left Yami at once, making her way back to the game without looking at Yami. Yami stood there a moment longer, his carefully built-up courage shattered and his ego torn into pieces. He followed behind, pale as a ghost, looking lost and confused.

_"Yami, what's the matter?"_ sent Yugi concernedly.

_"I was about to tell her, aibou! I finally had built up the courage to tell her, and now it's gone," _he replied bitterly. Yugi sent a wave of sympathy, but their conversation was interrupted by Joey, who insisted that Yami do his dare. Yami took one deep breath, and looked straight at Tea. His eyes flicked from her deep brown eyes to her red lips, and back to her eyes. He leaned in, his eyes closing, and -

"**BIG BROTHER!**" shouted a small voice. Yami had already nearly met Tea's lips, but she turned abruptly and Yami was presented with her cheek, which his lips met full-on before he had a chance to stop himself. He drew back quickly, and Tea turned to him, face burning. Fortunately, the rest of the gang had been provided a sufficient distraction in the form of Mokuba, who was currently telling Kaiba off for staying up this late when there was a tournament to participate in tomorrow.

"Sorry..." apologized Yami in a small voice.

"No... it's fine..." said Tea quietly. Neither of them said a word as Mokuba dragged Kaiba away, or as the rest of the group decided that Mokuba was right, and it was best to try and get some sleep.

"Remember, you and Mai have got to share a bed tonight," Tristan reminded Joey. Joey's face immediately turned red again, as did Mai's.

"Where?" he asked shortly.

"Try one of the rooms up the hall, I'm sure they're not all full," replied Tristan, waving his hand in a 'I-don't-care' fashion. Joey took Mai's hand and dragged her outside, trying to keep his blush under control.

"'Night everyone," said Mai, rolling her eyes as she was pulled out the door.

"Well, time to hit the sheets," yawned Tristan. "'Night y'all."

"'Night!" chorused the rest of the group, except the silent Yami and Tea.

"Goodnight Yami," said Tea in a whisper, her face as red as an over-ripe tomato. Yami blushed as well, before bidding her goodnight. But before Yami left the room, Tea pulled him back and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. Yami felt even more heat rise up to his cheeks, and rushed quickly out of the room, clutching his cheek.

-

"I don't know **what** they expect us to do," raved Joey, pacing around the small bedroom. Mai was sitting calmly on the bed, unpacking her suitcase. Joey's suitcase was tossed carelessly on the bed, his clothes thrown all over the floor. He was already in his pyjamas, having got changed moments before in the ensuite.

"Joey, it doesn't matter what **they** expect us to do. Let's just try and make the most of it," reasoned Mai, taking her (surprisingly) lavender pyjamas and entering the ensuite. She closed the door, but left it open a fraction, not enough so that Joey could perv on her, but enough so that she could still conduct a conversation with him.

"Well... should I sleep on the floor?" suggested Joey. Mai snorted, and emerged wearing her pyjamas. She placed her other clothes back in her suitcase, and took out her toothbrush.

"Why do you say that? We're not going to let this dare get the best of us, are we Joey?" she asked slyly. Joey glared at her, but didn't reply. Mai rolled her eyes again, and brushed her teeth in the ensuite. Joey soon followed her, and after a time they were finally ready for bed. Joey sat on one side of the bed while Mai sat on the other.

"'Spose we better get some sleep..." said Joey grumpily. He pulled back the covers and slipped into the bed. Mai jumped in next to him, and snuggled up comfortably into Joey's chest. Joey's bad mood evaporated as he put his arms around her and held her close.

"G'night Joey," whispered Mai, already half-asleep. Joey kissed her forehead gently in reply, and they fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

**Lu:** Well, that's the last new chapter from me for a while. Hope you liked it! OK, **JOEYxMAI FANS LOOK HERE!** Now that I've got your attention, (VOTE FOR BART! J/k, soz) I'm adding in a proper JoeyxMai getting together scene when I revise that part of the story, so you might like to go and find that once it's up. It wasn't fair on y'all only hearing it from Tristan's point of view. Remember, **PRESS DA _BLUE_ BUTTON THAT SAYS _GO_, **and give me a nice little (or big) review. 


	29. Challenges and Canoeing

**Lu:** Here's the new chappie! It's just a bridge chapter, really, but far more exciting than the other bridge chapter. Enjoy! Oh, and read the end note if you want an explanation of the challenge given to the finalists by Kaiba.

-

The sun shone brightly above the duellist city. All over town, duellists were waking up, checking through their decks, making last minute peaks and touch-ups. Nobody knew what was in store for them that day. Kaiba hadn't yet informed the duellists as to what was going to follow, now that all of the finalist entry cards had been claimed.

But in one room, one guy was still asleep.

"Hun, time to get up" cooed a voice into Joey's left ear. He groaned, mumbled something incoherent, and turned over, drawing the blanket closer to him. Mai sighed and rolled her eyes. This was the first time she had been stuck with the burden of getting Joey out of bed. She was finding it an amusing but slightly exasperating experience. Joey let out a loud snore. Mai snorted. She hadn't thought it was humanly possible to make a snore that loud. She placed a hand gently but firmly onto his shoulder, and shook him.

"But Ma, I don't wanna go ta school dis mornin'" slurred Joey, before emitting another snore. Mai rolled her eyes again. _Boys. _

"Joseph Wheeler, get your lazy ass out of bed right now or I'll be forced to do something drastic" barked Mai, hoping a stern voice would be a more successful approach. However, she was mistaken. Her order was completely ignored. Mai was getting frustrated. But she had one more plan.

Moving quietly around so she was facing him, she kneeled down beside the bed, and planted a kiss on his lips. Joey's eyes immediately flew open, and Mai broke away.

"If I'd have known _dat_ was the wake up call I'd be gettin', I would've given da hotel a tip" exclaimed a suddenly wide awake Joey. Mai smirked.

"And if _I'd_ have known how long it takes to wake you up, I would have brought a siren. Maybe _that_ would have gotten you out of bed quicker" retorted Mai. "Now get up! It's already 7:00! If you want any chance of having breakfast, then you better get up" Joey sprung to his feet, grabbed his bag and disappeared into the bathroom.

-

"So Kaiba, what's gonna happen now" asked Yugi, as the gang settled into their now familiar seats at the breakfast cafe in town.

"You mean with the tournament? Well, anyone who has an entry card for the finals stays, and everyone else is sent packing, unless they want to watch the rest of the tournament. There is complementary seating for anyone who participated and you guys"- he pointed to Tristan, Serenity and Tea"can all sit there too. And the sleeping arrangements will change to be two or three in a room, because I expect that quite a few duellists will pack off. Sore losers."

"Two, huh" pondered Joey. "Can we choose _anyone_ to be with? Let's say, if I wanted to be with"

"Yes, Joey. You can be in the same room as Mai" interrupted Seto, causing Joey to immediately glance at Mai and smile. The group immediately broke into loud discussion of who was sharing what room with whom. Tea sat to the edge of the group, not participating in the discussion. She glanced to her left, where Yami also remained in a sullen silence, his arms crossed across his chest.

"Umm... Yami..." began Tea shyly. "Would... would you like to share a room with me" Yami looked at her, startled.

_'Share a room with Tea? Does she mean... like that?'_ He glanced around. Yugi had already paired up with Ryou. This he took as a good sign, because he had assumed that they had to be _together_ to share a room, but he was sure his hikari was not gay.

"Err... sure Tea! It would be my pleasure" he replied enthusiastically. Tea smiled at him, then looked at her knees, the shy smile still on her face.

The discussion ended abruptly as the waiter arrived to take the orders. By now, everyone was sorted out - Joey with Mai; Yami with Tea; Yugi with Ryou; Duke, Tristan and Marik (neither Tristan nor Duke would let the other get to Serenity) and finally, Serenity, Seto and Mokuba (Joey steamed as it was announced, but felt slightly comforted at the fact that Mokuba was going to be in there too). **_A/N: Just so you know, I'm changing it so that Joey will _not_ like the fact that Kaiba and Serenity are together. I don't really like the couple anymore, but I love Joey's reaction, so I'm going to change it to suit myself. _**

"Seto, you didn't really explain what is happening with the actual tournament. Do the finals start today" asked Yugi curiously. Seto swallowed his food, nodding in reply.

"The eight finalists - Yami, Joey, Mai, Marik, Mako, Rex, Ishizu and I - will be placed into duels drawn at random. From there, four people will be eliminated, and the final four will be duelling also from the results of a random draw. Basically, it's the same set-up as Battle City, but much less publicised and much more selective" he explained.

"Guys, two of us are going to have to duel each other you realise" pointed out Yami. "There are five of us, am I correct? Joey, Mai, Seto, Marik and I. So two of us are going to _have_ to duel each other." This fact hit each of them rather heavily. Joey and Mai immediately glanced at one another in dread. Not only would there have to be one of them eliminated by another in the first round, but in the second round of duels, if three of them got into them, another person would have to be knocked out by a friend.

Once everyone had finished, Duke suggested that they get moving "No use waiting around here, when there's duelling to watch" - so they headed off.

-

As Seto approached the podium, a hush fell over the crowded duellists. He stepped up into the stand, commanding the total attention of everyone gathered.

"Fellow duellists, thank you for participating in the Conflict Duel Tournament. I'm sure you're all wondering what's happening from here on in" there was scattered murmurs of approval "-and any of you who participated in Battle City will know the basic format. Eight finalists, duels drawn at random. Then two more duels also chosen at random, followed by the grand final. Now, anyone without a final entry card, which is most of you, are welcome to stay and watch the finals. Anyone who doesn't want to watch the finals, thank you for participating, and better luck in the next tournament. Anyone with a finalist entry card, please follow me."

The finalists spread themselves out inside the small room that Seto had led them to. Yami, Joey, Mai and Marik grouped on one side of the room. Rex and Mako positioned themselves on the opposite corner, whilst Ishizu retreated into the last corner. Seto stood in the centre of the room, ready to address those gathered.

"The actual duels will not be held here, but in a duelling arena not far from here. Unfortunately, though it is not far as the crow flies, there are many obstacles for people. This will be a test of stamina, as in the last tournament, some people" - here he stared pointedly at Joey "were unable to complete their duels. Anyone who doesn't manage to complete this challenge will be replaced by someone who can. Once we get to the duelling site, we will draw the first duel, and there will be a ten minute break to prepare. Does everyone understand" He received eager nods from everyone in the room, with the exception of Ishizu, who inclined her head slightly to indicate that she understood.

"What is involved in this challenge" asked Yami.

"First, we'll go in a helicopter" - murmurs of ascent echoed around the room "followed by sky diving into 4 canoes" - everyone started to sound slightly less confident "and then, once we've gotten to the end of the river, we'll slide down a flying fox to the arena." A long and uneasy silence answered the end of the speech.

"And how do all the spectators get there" queried Mai.

"They will be airlifted by helicopter to the duelling site" responded Seto.

"And why can't we" growled Joey, glaring icily at Seto. Seto simply returned his glare with a withering look.

"If are finished complaining, _Joey_, then we can begin the stamina challenge. Everybody follow me to the helicopter pad."

-

"Approaching destination. Please attach parachutes and prepare for departure" said the stately pilot's voice over the intercom. They all reached for the parachutes, and psyched themselves for sky diving. Joey's strategy was to ask Seto if he was sure this was safe without pausing for an answer, whilst Yami and Marik sat quietly in the corner. Mai was trying to stop Joey from bugging Kaiba, and Mako and Rex were discussing the tournament. Ishizu did not seem to be psyching herself at all, instead staring sullenly out the window.

"So the canoes will be dere, right? I mean, dey won't just not turn up an' we'll have to swim da whole way dere? And da parachutes will open, right? You have checked dem all for any faults, right"

"For the last time, _yes_! You will be able to steer your own parachute towards your chosen canoe. OK? Just stop annoying me"

"Joey, he's right, he wouldn't be making us do this unless it was absolutely safe. Come on, stop bugging him, come over here with me. Please"

"So yeah, my deck is tweaked to perfection. There is no way that your sea monsters will beat my dinosaurs"

"I wouldn't guarantee that, Raptor. My sea monsters are stronger than ever, and not even a dinosaur can survive the awesome power of the sea"

The pilot's voice silenced them all at once "The first person to jump in 10... 9..."

"I'm going to go first" announced Seto. "Everyone else can follow in whatever order they wish to. Once you have selected a canoe, just aim for it, and _be careful_. I do not want to have to deal with causalities due to stupidity. Is everyone ready"

"Would the first person please jump _now_" yelled the pilot, and Seto leaped from the helicopter. Everyone except Ishizu immediately rushed to the window, following Seto's progress through the sky. He free-fell for a couple of seconds, before pulling the string for the parachute to open, and he drifted downwards towards some canoes tied up at a small dock.

"_Now!_" shouted the pilot again. Everyone glanced at one another, and Mako shrugged and stepped out of the plane. Everyone filed out gradually. Rex followed Mako, then Yami and Marik, then Mai and Joey, and finally Ishizu.

Once everyone had landed safely in their double canoes (Joey with Mai, Yami with Marik, Rex with Mako and Ishizu with Seto), Seto stood up gracefully in the canoe to instruct them on the next leg of the challenge. Joey fidgeted in anticipation of the next leg of the challenge.

"As you can see, we will be canoeing down this river. The first pair to get to the end has to slide down the flying fox to the finish. Any person to get there in under half an hour will qualify for the finals. Whoever doesn't, won't. I will fly somebody else in to take their place in the finals. Is everyone clear with that? OK. Let's go."

The finalists took up their oars and began to move forward in the water. The current carried them along fairly quickly, so that everyone except Joey and Mai had reached the flying fox in about 15 minutes. They, however, were having some problems.

"Joey, keep in time with me" yelled Mai angrily. Joey growled something, but it couldn't be heard over the sound of the roaring current. He attempted to get in time with Mai, but his oar kept getting stuck in the water.

"Couldn't we just get da current to carry us dere" he shouted back. Mai didn't answer. She was staring at the opposite bank.

"Finally! We're there" She reached back and took Joey's oar, and began rowing them to shore. "I really can't believe you Joey, canoeing is not the hardest sport on the market. You could have gotten us thrown out of the tournament! I sincerely hope you can do a simple thing like slide down a flying fox."

"Well, sor-ry, Miss I'm-so-good-at-everythin'! Just 'cause I'm not so good at one lousy sport, doesn't mean we woulda got chucked out of da tournament! Gimme a little credit here"

"Whatever Joey. Let's just finish the challenge and we'll talk about this later."

"Fine."

They reached the shore within minutes with Mai rowing. They reached the end of the course within a minute, and with only seconds to spare.

"29 minutes. Well, I never thought that you could sink any lower, _Joey_, but that was pretty low. It was only because of Mai that you got here on time" sneered Seto.

"If you'll excuse me, _Seto_, I'm just not too good at canoeing. I'd like ta see _you_ play basketball better dan me"

"Just so you know, I'm actually very good at basketball. Unlike _some_ people." **_A/N: Hey, Kaiba's gotta keep fit somehow!_**

"Oh yeah? How about we have a one on one match then? We'll see how tough you really are, without your precious Blue Eyes to protect you..."

By now, Joey and Seto were right up in each other's faces. Joey's face was bright red, while Seto remained as cool as ever. Everyone else was keeping as far away from the feud as possible, not wanting to get involved. Everyone, that is, but Mai.

"Stop bickering, you two! Joey, get over here! Seto, I believe we have a tournament to participate in. Shouldn't we be drawing the first quarter-final duel"

Seto rolled his eyes, but surrendered and led them to a small room. It was almost identical to the selection room of the blimp in the Battle City tournament. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon selection machine stood in the centre of the room, with one of Seto's many hired workers next to it.

"So, this is it. The first duel of the finals will be drawn, right here, right now. Sir, please activate the machine."

-

**Lu:** Ooh, terrible cliffie:cough: OK, maybe not that terrible. But you know. Whatever. I wonder who's duelling each other? OK, well, I don't wonder, I've already figured that out, but y'know. I also have to explain something: the canoeing part of the story is part of a little challenge thing going on between Hysterik-Angel and I. We have to get canoeing into Conflict Duel (which I've done) and Shadow of Reality. The skydiving was from her brother, and the flying fox was from a T.V. show called Outback Jack. Don't ask, we just wanted to. Oh, and thanks to H-A for editing this chapter for me. R+R!


	30. Chapter 30

**Author's Note:** I am putting this fic, and all my other fics up for adoption. Please see my profile for details.


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